The Making of a Champion
by Waiting For It All
Summary: She left about nine years ago, returning back to Kanto. She raised both their daughter and his unknown son. He stayed in Hoenn raising their oldest son. Rory, finally being old enough to travel through Kanto, meets up with a group of boys from Hoenn; one of them being eerily similar. He has her mother's eyes and her nose. Who is this boy? And why's he calling her a "Ketchup"?
1. Prologue

**Okay so I was bored and decided to write a Pokemon futuresque story. Mind you I don't own ANY of this! I'm am poor, and not from Japan, and sadly my name is not Satoshi Tajiri. Did you know if you type in 'creator of' into Google, pok****é**mon comes up as the third option. I think that's pretty cool... . And I _**am **_**a Pokeshipper, even if this doesn't seem very Pokeship like at first.**

**And I don't know why so don't ask me but Poke, Contest, and whoever Dawn shall be with (most likely with Paul) all live in Hoenn. Ash, and Dawn's husband (unless it's Kenny) both work for Hoenn's Battle Frontier. And for some reason Ash decided to be champion in Kanto and Johto while living in Hoenn, Don't ask me why cause I truly don't know.**

**CHALLENGE!: CAN YOU COME UP WITH A REASON AS TO WHY THE MOVED TO HOENN? Cause sadly I can't :(**

* * *

_I like to keep my issues drawn, it's always darkest before the dawn_

* * *

The cool breeze drafted in through the open window, startling the young redhead seated upon the nearby armchair. It was getting late, the sun had already set hours prior, and the moon was pretty high in the sky, yet her husband wasn't home. He said he'd be home in time for dinner -which she spent hours slaving over. He said they'd finally be able to catch up -in which _she _had; she caught up on some stupid television show. And he said he'd read to Benji -who actually ended up going to sleep well before his usually bedtime.

Where the hell was he?

Her husband had been away on some "business" conference where the Frontier Brains of the Battle Frontiers all meet up and went over Frontier Brain things for the past month. _MONTH_! And he said yesterday was the last day of the conference and that he'd be home by now.

Guess that's the downside of having such a high-ranked trainer as a husband, he's always away. He holds too many titles... Soon all the regions will have him as their champion, frontier brain, and elites... But that's probably too much work.

Who was she kidding, he's probably working on that right now.

Sighing, she turned her attention back to the television screen. Was she watching this before? _The Real Trainer Wives of Unova Region._ She shrugged, maybe it would be a good program- _that girl just got decked! And that chick just used her Lampent to torch some other chick's hair!_

Beside her, faint crying could be heard through her baby monitor. Rory was up. The woman quickly stood up, letting the screaming "trainer wives" to continue duking it out. Walking down a darken hallway, the woman gently pushed open the door of the nursery. The light above the crib slightly illuminated the face of the crying infant. Reaching in, the woman picked up her daughter, bouncing and soothing her.

"It's okay baby, Mommy's here." The woman whispered, humming a gentle lullaby to pacify the crying bundle in her arms. After about a verse or two, Rory calmed down, reaching her little hands towards her mother. The woman, held onto her daughter's hand and kissed it, "Hey baby." she said softly. Rory smiled up at her mother and began to coo, her eyelids fluttering a bit. Rory was getting ready to go back to bed. Her mother didn't blame her, it was pretty late.

She placed her daughter back in the crib, and began to sing Rory's favorite lullaby, Somewhere over the Rainbow. Soon the infant was back to sleep, her mother sitting herself in the rocking chair beside her. And soon, she too had fallen asleep.

A few hours had passed when the front door -as quietly as possible- creaked open. A tall dark haired man stood in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. He was beat from a long night. His friend's had ambushed him after he returned him, dragging him out to a local pub. All he wanted to do last night was drive home, eat dinner with his wife, and sleep. But _noooo_. His idiot friends had other plans.

Though he did have fun, who could go wrong with drunken karaoke right? But now he was feeling the effects of both lack of sleep and the ever dreaded hangover. He felt his head and muscles begin to ache. He felt a bit nauseous as he walked through the room, it felt as if he was undergoing vertigo. Maybe he should shut off the lights.

He began his trek towards their bedroom, but decided to stop at both Benji and Rory's rooms first. Opening Benji's door, he saw the toddler sprawled out on his bed with his plush Entei hugged into his side. The man walked into the room lifting his son's blanket up over his shoulders and tucked him in. He brushed his son's messy black mane out of his face. The boy was smiling which caused his father to smile as well. At least his son was having a good dream.

He then walked back into the hall and went to the next door over, opening that one as quietly as he could. Inside he saw not just one, but both of his favorite women; his wife and his daughter. In the crib, Rory rested peacefully, her light brown locks covering part of her forehead. After a few seconds, he turned his attention to his wife.

"Hey beautiful, wake up." he said slightly shaking his wife's shoulder. Slowly she started opening her eyes. "Ash?" she asked, looking at he darken figure in front of her. Her husband smiled down at her and picked her up, carrying her towards their room. "Mist, you know, sleeping in a rocking chair is bad for your back."

* * *

_I've been a fool, and I've been blind, I will never leave the past behind_

* * *

She stood aside, like any good wife of a Pokémon Master, while he gave his speech. She waited patiently as he talked with the press about renovations being done on the Battle Frontiers to make them more advanced and more modern. She watched as he answered each and every question thrown at him by the news reporters present in the room. But for some reason, his publicist/advisor (and any other title that would help aid her husband) escorted her out of the room as he began to sign autographs and take pictures with the crowd of fans who awaited outside the conference room to see him.

Why wasn't she allowed to be there? Hell sometimes people want _her _autograph if they were water-type lovers like she is.

"Misty." he said quietly, "I have a letter from Ash. He was contemplating giving it to you for the past couple months, and he wants you to have it now." Ash's advisor handed the woman a sealed white envelope which she quickly grabbed. But judging by the upset look drawn onto the man's face, she was too scared to open it. "I'll read it later." she squeaked out before exiting the hallway. Once outside the building she ripped open the envelope.

There were a bunch a cross outs, nearly making half of it illegible. But she picked up on the main idea. Two sentences really stood out.

_This isn't working the way I thought it would._

_It's hard to be faithful with someone you don't love._

She didn't even try to decipher the rest of the letter, the door opened and his advisor walked out. "Ah, they you are! Could you tell him I was trying to reach him the other day?" The woman looked up at the advisor, "He was at some dinner for the League." The advisor looked puzzled and then pulled out his phone. "I don't remember scheduling that." The woman's face dropped, what?

He showed her the phone's calendar, two weeks from now was the apparent League dinner, then where was he three days ago?

The words from the letter rung in her hand, _Hard to be faithful_. She threw the vile letter into her clutch and ran. But in her heels she didn't get very far down the block before one of them broke. The woman groaned, and pulled off her heels, only to be graced by her foot entering a puddle. She groaned once more, but then sped as fast as her legs would carry her towards her friend's home. She banged against the door wanting nothing more than to get her children and get home.

The door was opened by a green haired male who looked ready to fall asleep against the door jamb. "Misty?" he asked, then looked behind her, "Where's Ash?" he asked, but the woman had already entered the house. "Oh you know, got held up at work and- there she is!" the woman's face finally smiled. There, on her friend's knee, bounced her baby. At the sound of her mother's voice, Rory's hands instantly started opening and closing, as if trying to grab her. The woman walked further into the room, and her daughter smiled, finally being able to see her mother.

"Hey May. Was she okay?" she asked her friend, who responded with a "Is she ever bad?" The woman smiled down at her friend and picked up her daughter, "Hey baby, you ready to go home?" She then walked into the den where her son and his friends' sons all played. "You're watching William too?" she teased her friend, noticing the three rambunctious toddlers. "Dawn had that six week postpartum check up and he wanted to go with her, so they threw their kid at me, literally." she said, "Not very good parenting, but still."

Benji looked up and saw his mother, and smiled. "Play mommy!" The little toddler ran to his mother. "Play!" he grabbed her hand and started to drag her towards his friends. "No baby, we have to go home."

The toddler stomped his feet, "No! Play!" May walked into the room and hugged Benji, "You guys can play tomorrow. How 'bout that?" Benji seemed to be thinking, finish the game now or finish the game tomorrow, very hard decision. He was about to answer when his mom said, "How about Ash just picks him up later, he should be leaving soon anyway." The boy hugged his mother and ran back to his friends. The woman though walked over to her son and hugged him. She didn't even notice she was crying until her son said, "No cry mommy! No cry." he began to try and get rid of the tears that trailed down her face, like she usually did when he started crying. "Thank you baby." she whispered and kissed his forehead, "Mommy loves you very much, remember that." May looked at her friend oddly, but said nothing.

"Bye May." the woman said, before leaving with Rory cooing away on her hip.

* * *

_Our love is pastured such a mournful sound, tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground_

* * *

Upon entering the house, the woman placed her daughter in her play pen, then headed upstairs to the attic. If her being here was too hard for him, then she'd make his life easier. She found a black suitcase and a matching black duffle bag, then proceeded to their -his- room. She took apart her dresser, taking as much clothing as she could fit into the one suitcase. She then headed to her vanity, her red shoulder bag from when she traveled with Ash hung from the mirror. She grabbed it and filled it with a comb and other toiletries.

After finishing packing her stuff, she entered the nursery. Once inside she headed to Rory's changing table. She then emptied the shelves into the duffle bag. Diapers, baby shampoos, baby powders, wipes, rash cream, and tissues. She then headed to the dresser and grabbed an arms full of clothing, her baby liked her clothes very much. She grabbed Rory's favorite binkey, the one with a Cleffa on the handle. Ash said that always helped calm Rory down when she wasn't home. She then grabbed a couple blankets. Noticing the room still left over in the duffle bag, she threw her red shoulder bag inside. Carrying the bags to the kitchen, she then placed all the baby food she could find into plastic bags, she also grabbed a couple bananas, gotta introduce her to solid foods too. She also packed three bottles into the duffle bag.

After sending a quick text to her husband, telling him to pick up Benji from May's, she glanced at the house thinking she was good. Plus if she needed anything, she could always buy it in a supermarket.

The woman pulled off both her wedding and engagement rings, placing them on the table next to her phone. Picking up Rory from her playpen, and grabbing her clutch, she was ready to leave.

* * *

_And it's hard to dance with the devil on your back, so shake him off_

* * *

The woman stood at the dock in Lilyport awaiting the arrival of the S.S. Tidal. She never thought she'd have to use this but the woman was going to use her MysticTicket to get her to the Sevii Islands. Oh how she had missed Kanto. Rory was getting a bit fussy, it was well passed her nap time. The woman starting humming a lullaby and bounced the infant on her hip, "Hush sweetie, just a little bit longer." the woman said. About ten minutes later the ship was ready to board.

The woman was lead by a young cabin boy through a maze of hallways towards her cabin. Once the door was opened she started to create a makeshift crib for her daughter. She formed the comforters into a circle and placed her in the middle of it. She then pulled one of the blankets out of the duffle bag and swaddled the baby in warmth. "Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high" she began to sing. Not even halfway through the first verse and the infant was already asleep. The woman smiled down at her daughter and decided to rest too, it was a long trip to Naval Island. She laid down on the bed and hugged her daughter close, no one would ever harm her.

The woman was asleep for well over three hours and the ship was well from the coast. She walked towards her window and looked out, the sea breeze brushing against her. Just a few more hours and she'd be back home in Kanto. She could get her status as Gym Leader back, as long as Daisy, Lily, and hadn't run the gym into the ground. Or just work with the pokémon at the gym if Daisy had truly become the Leader she raved about being. She turned on the small television in the room and waited for the next few hours to pass; changing Rory's diaper and feeding her had helped spend some of the time.

Soon the ship had docked on Naval Island. The woman picked up her daughter, then her bags and headed off the ship. A little ways down the dock was a Seagallop Ferry which would bring her to the mainland, to Vermillion. The sun had already set and thankfully this time the boat ride wouldn't be as long as the S.S. Tidal's but still, she'd be entering Vermillion well into the night.

By the time the ferry had docked it was actually sunrise, about six something in the morning. The woman looked like a mess, she may have slept through most of the S.S. Tidal's ride but she was wide awake the whole ferry ride. It had finally hit her. She had left. Where would she go? She thought about going to Cerulean, but what would her sisters say when they found out? She couldn't really go to Brock, he'd have Ash down there in a minute and she couldn't look at his face after reading that letter, well more like sentence.

Had it really been that hard to love her? If it was, he was a very good actor. He should join that studio they had in Unova. It was Unova that had that studio right? Oh god, she didn't belong in the life he lead. He traveled everywhere, did everything, her travels were cut short and she lived more of a grounded life. Maybe he just wasn't ready for that. He was never in the same spot for too long.

"Misty?" a gruff voice asked. The woman looked up and saw a tall, built man with spiked up blonde hair. "Surge." she said before smiling, "It's so good to be back." He took in her appearance; a suitcase in one hand, a duffle bag hanging loosely from her shoulder, baby attached to her hip, and a worse-for-wear look sketched onto her features. Grabbing her suitcase from her hands, he turned the other way, "Come on, it's a bit of a walk to Cerulean, you might as well rest."

She bit her lip, "I'm not entirely sure I'm going to Cerulean yet." Surge turned around and glanced at the girl. Well she wasn't a girl anymore, "You know I remember about ten years ago, this fierce little girl who single-handedly got Cerulean City right back on the map. Now are you telling me Misty Waterflower doesn't want to go back?"

The woman looked up shocked at his reply, "Y-You called me Waterflower." He raised an eyebrow at her, "Well obviously somethings up, if you're back in Kanto with a load of luggage ad a baby." The woman looked back down at her feet, "I'd rather not talk about it." Surge shrugged, "And I'd rather not intrude." The man continued on his trek back towards the Gym with the young redhead trailing behind him.

"So no Cerulean, then where?" He asked, not even glancing behind him, "Anywhere, probably Viridian because I have someone I need to talk to." Surge laughed, "You do know you gotta go through Pewter right?" she hung her hand and sighed.

"Sadly, yes."

* * *

_I am done with my graceless heart, so tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart_

* * *

After placing Rory is Surge's arms, and instructing him on how to properly hold her, the woman took a seat at on of the video phones. She dialed a number she knew by heart and waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?" a tired voice asked, the man's dimmed face come completely into view a few seconds later, after the light had been turned fully on. "Hey Gary, I need your help." she said softly, watching the man's black eyes widen.

"Misty where are you? Is that Surge? What's wrong?" the researcher demanded answers, why was she in Kanto if her family was in Hoenn. The woman looked down at the desk the video phone was placed on. She danced her fingers over the wood, creating pictures and drawing shapes of Pokémon. "I left." Her throat felt swollen, she couldn't speak. "Gary, I left him." she forced out. His eyes softened when he say Surge in the background holding Rory at eye level.

"Want me to pick you up and take you to Cerulean?" The woman shook her head, she had an idea, she'd live in some town that she _and _Ash had no ties to. Just in case he came looking for Rory. She couldn't face him. Not now, not ever.

"I'm not going to Cerulean right now, I may go back eventually, but right now I'm thinking of going to Fuchsia, maybe Saffron, Sabrina always was my favorite out of those jerks we call Gym Leaders."

A "Hey!" was heard from both Gary and Surge and the woman only smiled, oh how she missed her place as a Gym Leader. "Okay, I'll place Agatha in charge of the gym and then I'll come and help you get on your feet okay? Sound good?" The woman nodded before hanging up. "So Gary's coming to get you?" Surge asked, handing Rory back to her mother. "Yeah, too bad he's giving the gym up." Surge laughed.

"That boy's wanted a chance it give it up for a while now. Actually, ever since Giovanni disappeared. The kid loved battling, but he loved researching more. He truly is Oak's grandkid." The woman looked at Surge. "Then maybe I should go to Cinnabar. They still have that lab right?"

Surge looked at the ex-gym leader. "Go wherever will get you back on your feet. I hope to see you at the next Plateau meeting in a couple months. We're going over whether or not we should get a froyo machine in the conference room." she laughed at the man's attempt at a joke. "I think I should come back to the Plateau when you guys aren't discussing such a serious topic. I think that's too much to handle."

The woman had created a makeshift playpen using an empty cardboard box and placed Rory inside, asking his Raichu to keep an eye on her. She then went to help Surge feed his Pokémon. On the way, she spotted the arena. "You know, I haven't been on one of these in years. I've always just been in a spectator's box." She looked towards where the opposing trainer would stand and pictured the first time she had ever been in this gym. Ash stood over there, becoming extremely defensive when he and Pikachu were both called babies. The whole battled played out in her head. Pikachu and Surge's Raichu charged at each other. She remembered seeing the determination in Pikachu's eyes after Raichu's counterattack. She remembered the Mega Punch, then the Mega Kick, yet Pikachu still stood tall. He never seemed to give up. Tears rolled down her cheek, but she didn't dare whip them away. When had everything gone bad? When had their childhood dissipated? Why had she given up?

"You know, you were really intimidating when I first came here. You were mean, tough, and scary. What happened? Now you're soft." Surge smirked, "Well, you grow to see your fellow Leaders as family after a while, and family looks out for one another."

A few hours later, a horn honked outside the Vermilion Gym's entrance, and a slick red sports car could be seen through the glass doors. The woman ran up the the older male and hugged him, "Thank you." he hugged her back lightly, trying not to crush her small frame, "Be careful okay Misty?" The woman grabbed her daughter and watched as Surge brought her bags to the car.

"So now I have to see Agatha at meetings again?" Surge groaned and Gary only laughed, "Sadly yes."

Misty got into the car, hugging Rory to her chest, "Really Gary, no car seat? You have two of 'em!" she said sternly, he smirked and turned back onto the street, "Leaf's gonna meet us wherever you want to go. So? Where to?"

"Cinnabar." the woman said, smiling down at her daughter, "They have a lab you could work at."

* * *

_And given half the chance would I take any of it back_

* * *

"Mist! We're home!" a man yelled, opening the door. "Mommy!" the toddler yelled, running into the house. The man looked around the house, where was she? He walked towards the kitchen and noticed the cabinets wide open. He ran over to one of the open cabinets and noticed each and every shelf inside it to be bare, where did Rory's food go?

"Mommy?" Benji asked, his voice lower. He didn't understand why his mommy wasn't answering, but then he got an idea, maybe mommy was sleeping. He ran as fast as his feet would carry him towards the hallway. "Wakey Mommy!" A couple of steps in and the toddler was lifted from the floor. Giggling he turned his head to gaze at his dad. "Again, again!"

The man lightly chuckled at his son, but continued down the hallway. "Down Daddy" the boy demanded when they had reached his parent's room, "down!" The man sat his son down on the floor. For some reason the door was closed and the poor toddler couldn't seem to figure out how to open it. The man twisted the doorknob, and gazed into a trashed room. Clothes were everywhere, the closet was wide open and a couple things on his wife's vanity had been knocked over.

It looked like a hurricane had hit.

"Mommy?" the boy asked, running towards the closet, "Mommy?" he asked again. But there was no sign of the woman. The young child fell backwards onto the carpet and started crying. This wasn't a very fun game of hide-and-seek, his mommy hadn't laugh like she usually did. He'd usually yell her name and he'd hear her giggling away, so why wasn't she laughing now?

His father sat down on the corner of their -his- bed. He removed the Frontier's cap from his head and ran his hands through his raven hair. The boy looked up to see his father's upset look and crawled over to him. "Daddy?" he asked, looking up at the older man. His dad just sighed and placed his cap on top of the boy's head. "Come on Benji, I'm gonna make us some dinner."

The man carried his son down the hallway again, "Why don't you go play with your cars?" this had brought a smile to the boys face. And the moment his dad walked through the kitchen's door frame, the boy was already squirming and trying to get out of his grip. He placed his son down and watched the now-happy boy run off. The man wasn't actually in the mood to cook -and it's not like he actually could cook- so he scourged the freezer for some instant meal he could serve both his son and himself. A two year old could eat that right?

About ten minutes into the adventure that was defrosting some TV dinner he heard his wife's phone going off. Was she still here?! He dropped the sippy cup he was currently filling with apple juice and ran to the living room, where he had heard the sound coming from. Albeit there was no one there.

On the coffee table sat something he never wished to see. Her two rings. She had taken them off and returned them. She had placed them in some stupid little glass bowl next to her stupid phone. Which was no longer going off. He groaned and sat down on the couch. Had she really just up and left leaving him with their kids? Kids? He shot up and raced down the hallway. How had he forgotten to check there? Throwing open the door to the nursery he noticed the state of the room was a bit similar to that of the master bedroom. It looked like a miniature hurricane had grazed through.

She had left and brought Aurora with her.

* * *

_It's a fine romance, but it's left me so undone. It's always darkest before the dawn_

* * *

The plane had touched down in Kanto after what had felt like an eternity. After the door had lowered, the man exited the plane with a toddler fast asleep against his shoulder. An older man, in his early sixties was there to greet him with a brown haired woman standing beside him. "Welcome home Ash." the older man said. "Hello Professor. Mom." he said in a monotone, acknowledging both adults.

The woman glanced up at her heartbroken son. It had been about two weeks since he had called her in a complete disarray. He could barely get his words out. She knew he was putting up this strong front for Benji, trying to be the strong father that could pull through this. But the moment his son's head hit his pillows, she knew her son became an emotional wreck. She'd been through it herself.

Delia didn't understand where they went wrong. Her son and her daughter-in-law had seemed so happy together. They seemed like they'd be together forever. But then out of the blue his wife leaves, more than likely coming home to Cerulean. Delia had seen the writing on the walls when her husband had left on "a journey" and never returned; but Ash and Misty seemed like they be the old couple sitting at a table in the middle of a diner just as in love as they were when they were teenagers. They seemed like the true eternal love.

She held out her arms, enveloping both her son, and her grandson into a warm hug. "Let me take him." she whispered, as her son handed over Benji. She looked down at her grandson for what felt like the first time in ages. She had gone to Hoenn the past couple holidays to see her grandchildren. This would be the first time his grandson had ever left his hometown, let alone his home region.

"Do you need a car?" the professor asked and the man nodded. He wanted to get there as fast as he could and ask -hell beg if he needed to- for her to come back. Most people don't meet the person they're gonna end up with at ten, but he knew he had. In a way he always knew. Hell, _everyone _knew since they were ten that the two of them were meant for each other. So why couldn't she?

The older man held out a set of keys. "It was one of Gary's old sports cars, thought a fast car would get you there quicker." The man nodded and kissed his sons head. "Mom" he started. The woman looked up from her sleeping grandson's form, "Huh?"

"We'll be back soon."

* * *

_So here's to drinks in the dark, at the end of my road_

* * *

The car had pulled up in front of a gym that resembled an oversized cement block. The driver quickly ran as he could into the building and began yelling for the gym leader, nearly losing his voice in the process.

A tall tanned skin man rushed into the lobby. "What's wrong?" he yelled, glancing at the man standing in front of him. He took in the messy raven hair, the League cap that wasn't completely forward, as if thrown on in a rush. He took in the disheveled clothes, a wrinkled t-shirt, a loose unbuttoned flannel, a pair of ripped old jeans. But the worst were his eyes.

His eyes were red, either from lack of sleep or crying. More than likely in his case it was both. His eyes helped you read him easily. They were usually so clear and full of life. But now, they looked like as if he'd been through hell. "Ash?" the tanner man asked. "Ash, what's wrong?"

"Is she here? Did she come to you?"

He looked at the man strangely, did who come here? He was about to ask what he was taking about when it hit him. The red eyes, the messy state he was in. She had left. Misty was gone.

He couldn't believe it. Ash and Misty were perfect together in every way. What had happened that made her leave? When he voiced his question, all he got in return was a frustrated, 'I don't know! She just left!' He watched as the man in front of him collapsed into on of the lobby's chairs.

"She didn't say anything about it, or even leave a note. Hell, all she did was text me asking to pick up Benji, the next thing I know her rings are on the coffee table, my house looks like it's been ransacked, and both she and Rory are no longer there." Sitting down beside the torn man he asked, "So she took Rory and left?"

The man nodded, glancing down at the fall, "I don't even know how to tell Benji, I just told him Mommy and Rory went to she Aunt Daisy. How do you tell a two year old your mother left?" He then took the cap off his head and ran his fingers through his hair, "And I don't want to ask my mom how she had to break the news to me, because I don't want to see her upset thinking about it."

"Ash, listen. Daisy and her sisters went traveling for a couple weeks. They decided to delay their return to the Gym after one of our Plateau meetings. Maybe she's at the Cerulean Gym, waiting until either you get there, or they do." The man looked at him strangely.

"What do you mean until I get there?" he placed a hand on the man's shoulder, "Sometimes girls don't realize something until you chase after them. Or so every fairy tale I've ever read states."

"Brock those are stories." He smiled down at the man, "Stories Misty always wished would come true." He grabbed the man's arm and dragged him towards the car. Opening the passenger's seat, he guided the man in. "Give me a second and I'll drive you to Cerulean."

He ran back inside and called for Forrest, leaving the gym under his care. Returning back to the car, he got in and began driving, "You really think she'd left, solely because she wanted me to chase after her?" The man beside him asked, glancing at the driver oddly. "Now, but she'll realize she made the wrong decision when she sees you there." He raised an eyebrow at the driver.

"What?"

"You need to watch more action movies, no more sappy crap." The man said, placing his cap back on his head.

"Hey! This 'sappy crap' is helping to get your wife back!"

* * *

_It's a shot in the dark and right at my throat_

* * *

The multicolored big top like roof of the Cerulean City Gym came into view in the distance. This was it. He'd finally be able to get her back, after about two weeks of waiting to let her cool off. After two weeks of heartbreak, he'd finally be able to hold her again. It hurt him when he'd go away on business trips and wake up alone, but he'd know at the end of the trip he'd be able to be with her again. This time, the weeks apart were torture because unlike a business trip they was the possibility that she'd never be in his arms again. And hoped that that would never happen, that he'd go back to Pallet with his wife and his daughter with him once more.

But to his dismay the gym was pitch black. He walked up to the front doors, noticing how there were no cars out front, and what he actually could make out through the glass doors, which really wasn't much, seemed to be getting dusty. As if no one had been in here for a month, maybe more. "Brock? When did you say the Plateau meeting took place? And for how long"

"Uhh, it was about a month and a half ago. It took about two weeks. Why?"

The man's face fell. She hasn't here, she hadn't been here. If she was here, even if only for two weeks, she would have turned this place into a home. She would so as much love in caring for this gym as she did caring for her kids. She was somewhere else. He wasn't even sure she was in Kanto! He figured she'd go either to Cerulean or Pewter, maybe Viridian. But wouldn't Professor Oak have told him if Misty was with Gary? Just the thought of Gary near Misty made him a bit unnerved. But not as unnerved as those dorks on the Orange Islands. Rudy and Danny. She wasn't _there_ was she? Misty had fallen in love with Trovita Island, and probably would have stayed if it wasn't for Ash being with her. Or maybe she was still in Hoenn visiting her Togetic -had she evolved into a Togekiss yet?- in the Mirage Kingdom. Togepi had been Misty first child.

Or maybe she had finally visited another region and was currently somewhere random, somewhere with no ties to both of them.

He sat down on the curb outside the gym and removed the cap from his head. Unlike the last few times, instead of running his head though his hair a bit and then putting the hat back on, he threw it at the ground. Did she want away from him that bad? She was gone and had left no trace. It was almost as if she had never existed.

He stood up and looked at the man in the car. "I'm gonna wait."

"For what?" the man in the car had called back, but he didn't received an answer. The now hatless man just simply started walking back into Cerulean. The man exited the car and walked towards where the hat was, he undid the fasten on the back on the cap and the refastened it around the door handles. If she every did come back, she'd know he was here. Turning away from the door, he noticed the man was already gone.

"Ash?! Come on, you even said you were gonna wait!"

* * *

_Looking for heaven, found the devil in me_

* * *

Days had passed and still the cap hung against the door, and still the man sat on the curb in front of the gym. Young trainers, who came to the gym to battle the missing leader, would notice him and ask him to battle but he gave them the same answer. "Sorry, gotta wait." No one really knew what he was waiting for. Or if he meant the kids had to wait to battle him. They just saw _the _Pokémon Master sitting outside the gym everyday, staring hopefully at the horizon, and for what no one knew.

One day, about a week and a half into this routine, a car had pulled up at the gym. A car carrying the infamous Brocklings. "Ash?" the oldest asked, sitting beside the man, "Ash you wanna go back to Pallet?" He shrugged, making no attempt at further conversation. He figured if he kept waiting maybe just maybe he'd see her. The eldest helped the man to his feet, and then tried once again to coax an answer out of him.

"Ash, please, I want to help you."

He groaned and ran his hands through his hair. "I figured I'd give her some time and then try and get her back. But I've been waiting here, and each day my hope in being with her again fades. I do want her back, oh god do I want her back. But, I think she doesn't want even the slightest thing to do with me. I guess it's a bit ironic that I became the one waiting for a word from her, when she spent three years waiting for a word from me while we were traveling."

That was it. He probably would never find her, and she probably din't want to be found. And that thought angered him, what the hell had he done to deserve this treatment. She took his own freaking kid! Without even thinking, the man turned and punched the wall behind them. "I'm done." was all he said before he stomped into the car.

Brock sighed and stared at his angered friend, "He's finally lost it." Forrest, who had finally escaped from the car, walked over to his brother while looking up at the darkened gym. "So we have PIA on our ass constantly, but the Sensational Sisters can be gone for months and still have a gym?"

* * *

_I know it was a really long first chapter, and may have dragged on at times, but what do you think? Should I continue? The chapters wouldn't be as long as this one, this one just sets up the story._

_I actually did a bit of research on child development for this. I knew most of the developmental stages from psychology. We spent a couple weeks learning child psychology and development. Which was actually pretty cool. Rory is four months old when Misty leaves and at that age they still coo, they don't babble yet and can only see approximately ten feet in front of them. Benji is two when she leaves and at that time, two year olds can say about a hundred words but do not fully grasp sentence structure and grammar does not apply to him. I was thinking of having him be three so I could do the Oedipus Complex, a theory proposed by Freud, but I did more looking into it and it's actually a _pretty awkward _topic. In class I learned the son sees his dad as a rival for his mother's attention, and the daughter sees the mother as a rival for her father's attention. But according to Freud they both become _sexual _attached to the mother and the girl gets penis envy and I was like _You know what, he'll be two instead.


	2. Six Degrees

**I thought it was funny that I'm sitting here writing this chapter while eating ice cream out of a Pokemon dish... OKAY SO WHO SHOULD DAWN BE PAIRED WITH?! I didn't really watch that season/series/arc thing. I only watched a few episodes so I don't really know who to pair her up with...**

**And thank you to all of y'all who favorited , followed, and commented. And I'm sorry if my spelling and grammar are off a bit. I type too fast and have fat whale-like fingers (at least I think they look like whales) and a laptop without spell check... never a good mix. And I guess I just suck at grammar.**

**Hopefully this clears up why Misty left so abruptly, there's more to it than just a letter she read, and she did read all that was to the letter, it wasn't a misunderstanding. **

**Oh! And I changed the cover photo to the lyrics from the song used in this chapter. I love this song and the band that sings it. They're mah boys :)**

_You've read the books, you've watched the shows, what's the best way, no one knows_

A woman stepped out of the slick red car, clutching her daughter tight to her chest. She glanced around at the city in front of her. It still was the bustling, tourist-attracting city she remembered. The woman turned to her travel companion and asked if they gym was still in the volcano.

"Actually, while you were away in Hoenn, the gym burnt down. Literally, not like a Blaine prank, I mean it actually burnt down. Poor Blaine was heartbroken. He had to move the gym to the Seafoam Islands. Imagine that, a fire gym on a icy terrain..."

The woman looked up at the male with her. Had she really been gone that long that the gym had burnt down and she didn't even know. Did her old "family" not care to stay in contact with her, well beside Brock and Gary. She should have been there for Blaine. It may seem weird, but a Leader's gym is the world to them, it's their first child -or if they've had children before becoming a leader, it's like another child to them. It's heartbreaking just parting from it, let alone losing it. Blaine loved his gym, even more than he loved pranks. But it wasn't smart on his part putting a gym in the volcano. He could have put it anyway on the island and he choose inside a freaking volcano.

"But thankfully, after generous donations from the League, trucks full of able bodies, and some high end architect who designed a new "indestructible" gym, Blaine is now once again Leader of Cinnabar Island."

The woman smiled, at least he had an indestructible gym. She didn't understand why Gary put air quotes around it but she wasn't going to question the man. She wanted to say hello to an old friend, hopefully get a room in the Pokemon center -last time she was here the place was packed!-, and relax. It had been a long two days and right now all she wanted to do was sleep. Actually, Blaine could wait, she felt like she was going to fall asleep at any moment. The two walked into the Pokemon center and noticed the place was just as packed as it was when the woman had first visited. There were kids tugging on blankets and pushing each other of the couches. Ah the joys of an overpopulated city. How she missed mass amounts of people.

The man walked up to the nurse behind the desk. "Uh sorry to bother you but do you have _any _rooms available? See my friend over there, she's got a four month old and we _really _don't wanna sleep on some couch." the nurse shook her head and apologized. They were overbooked. The man groaned, running a hand through his brown locks. "Wanna go see Blaine?"

The woman nodded and headed out to the car. The man fiddled with the keys in his pocket. Hopefully Blaine was at the gym, cause he really didn't want to be charged with breaking and entering.

The car traveled down the streets, carrying the two adults -and a still sleeping infant- towards the volcano. Sadly, there was no roads dug into the side. They'd have to climb this by foot. The woman got out of the car and began walking at such a swift pace, that the man with her had to jog to catch up. But you couldn't really blame her, she wanted to sleep. Dear Mew how she wanted to sleep. The woman looked down at the infant in her arms and willed herself to walk faster.

"Hello my fellow-" a voice started, as a man -she's guessing the guy who was talking- jumped down from a ledge that wasn't too high up. "Misty? Mew, it really is you." the man laughed, adjusting his glasses, his ever cheerful smile present on his face. The woman wasn't as happy though, what if he fell and hurt himself?! He's getting a bit old, jumping from high places aren't safe for someone his age. He wasn't twenty anymore, he could have broken something- but the woman stopped her fussing when he hugged her. "The lost princess is back in Kanto!" she looked at him oddly, the lost what now?

Gary looked at the ground sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck, "See, I came up with this joke when you two moved to Hoenn that the "princess" of Kanto was taken to some faraway castle." The woman looked at him strangely, "And why would you do that?" the man shrugged, he didn't know why he did half the stuff he did, but he and Blaine needed some way to pass the time at League meeting. What better way than by telling jokes to each other.

"Uh Blaine, I know this is a bit out-of-the-blue but, could we possibly stay here with you for a while?" the woman asked, staring at her toes. She really didn't know what to do if he said no. Leaf was already on her way to Cinnabar, and the next ferry that could carry a car back to the mainland leaves tomorrow morning. She'd be stuck outside tonight with a baby and a small blanket to keep the two of them warm. Then again, they could sleep in Gary's car if he pulled the top up.

"Sure, I have two guest rooms down the hall. Or would you rather I phone the lab and see if they have any rooms down there? I know a volcano isn't an idle home for a baby." The woman stared up at the man in front of her. She handed her child to Gary and pulled Blaine into one of the tightest hugs she has ever been a part of, "Thank. Thank you so much."

Blaine smiled and hugged her back, "Surge called saying you'd be stopping by. I was talking with an old friend of mine who's selling her house. She said I could get you a meeting with the broker. The basement can be converted into an apartment if you want a two-family home."

The woman couldn't believe it. The League still treated her like family, even after about four or five years away. Surge and Blaine were going through so much trouble just for her. Oh Mew, how would she ever repay them. The woman didn't even realize the tears welling up in her eyes until they began to roll down her cheeks. Blaine grabbed her hand and led them a little further up the mountain. The doors to the gym were opened and Blaine led the group through a series of hallways. He stopped at one of the rooms explaining that Misty and her daughter could have this room for the night, Gary's room would be across the hall. "Now if you two will excuse me, I apparently have a gym to run and several phone calls to make."

The woman entered the room and Gary following her in still hold her child. The woman turned to them and took her daughter back into her arm, "Rory, welcome to our new home."

Gary hugged her and went into his room, setting it up for when Leaf and his kids were supposed to show up. The woman began making another makeshift crib out of the comforters fitted to the bed. Once tucking in her daughter, the woman looked at the small television on the table in front of her. The woman turned on the television, some channel with a bunch of how-to shows was on. After a half hour of attempting to watch some show on how to make Pokeblocks, a show about moving on aired. The next thing the woman knew she was on her side, crying into the pillow beside her. She listened to what advise was being given but did it ever actually work. Was moving on really as simply as these women made it out to be?

_Meditate, get hypnotized, anything to take from your mind. But it won't go_

The woman sat on her bed trying to come herself down. She and Gary had hired a real estate agent about a month ago to make sure the house Blaine was finding them would be a good deal for them. It's not that they didn't trust Blaine, it's they just wanted a professional opinion before buying the home. And actually right now they were trying to close on it. The home was a modest two-family, with a wrap around porch and a large bay window. It was beautiful inside and out; it was as if the house was out of a dream.

Gary was down at the realtor's office seeing if they had officially "sealed the deal". Leaf was in her room with the twins. In January, they seemed to have started the baby boom of their friends this year. The twins were almost a year old, only two more months now. The woman turned towards her daughter sleeping in her crib - a real one, not a makeshift one!- that Blaine had set up in her room. Rory was sleeping peaceful, as usual.

Then she felt it.

Her stomach felt like it dropped for the third time this hour and she bolted to the bathroom, throwing up whatever food was still in her system. Urgh, the stress from trying to move into a new house and from trying to move on was really taking a toll on her. She hadn't felt this sick since- the woman's head shot up. No, she couldn't, could she? The woman was about to get up from her position on floor when the bathroom door opened. Leaf stood there with her hands behind her back, hiding something. She placed the object on a counter, just out of sight for the woman. Leaf flushed the toilet and put the seat down.

"Hey, you okay sweetie?" Leaf asked, siting down next to the woman. She leaned her head on her friend's shoulder and cried. Leaf began humming 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' knowing that always calmed down Rory, maybe it would calm down the woman. "I think I'm-"

"I know." Leaf cut her off, gently pushing the woman off her shoulder. "I bought you this." She removed the box from it's place on the counter and handed it to the woman. In her hands sat a pink box with the words 'Pregnancy Test' written on it. The tears came down faster. She couldn't really be pregnant again right? She felt like she just had Rory, but she did already have her six week postpartum test, and her doctor did say she was clear for sex again. So that meant she was clear to be pregnant again right?

Leaf took the box out of the woman's hands and helped her up. "Come on sweetie. I'll be here for you no matter the answer." the woman nodded and sat on the toilet lid. Leaf handed her the box again and told her to use two, just in case, before walking out of the bathroom and closing the door.

_Fuck_.

The woman placed her head in her hands. She should have seen this coming. _Watch the kid's going to look exactly like _him _just to fuck with me_. Oh well, if she truly is pregnant, she's going to love this kid no matter what. She raised the lid and readied herself to take the test. After about a minute of sitting on the can, she reached for the sink's nozzle. Running water was supposed to make you go to the bathroom right?

Sadly that didn't work. How the hell did people in the movies just be like _oh look I have to pee on this pregnancy test, and then they freaking pee on like three tests_. After a while she groaned, this was going nowhere. Leaf opened the door slightly, placing a glass of warm water on the counter. After closing the door she yelled, "Maybe warm water will help, apparently sticking your fingers in it makes you pee, why not try drinking it?" the woman reached over and grabbed the drink. And thankfully after a couple minutes, the two women were sitting back on the floor waiting for the dreading minute to be up. The timers on Leaf's phone went off and the woman turned to look at the two sticks seated on the counter.

Positive.

_You hit the drink, you take a toke, watch the past go up in smoke_

The man sat at a bar, running his hands through his tangled black mane. He was tired, but he couldn't sleep. His was truly a broken man. How do you move on when you've been in love with only one woman your whole life? He's known her for more than half of his life, and there wasn't a memory he treasure that didn't have her in it.

His raised the glass to his lips and took a swing. How many glasses of these had he had anyway? Better yet, what the hell was he actually drinking? _Oh screw it_, he raised his hand, gaining the attention of the nearby bartender. When he noticed the woman was looking at him, he lifted his glass, silently asking for another. The bartender nodded and began mixing his drink. He watched her pour some vodka and some rum. The bartender slid is drink across the tabletop at him, while turned his eyes towards the couple two seats over. The guy had been trying to get with this girl all night, "Cheers to you bud." he mumbled before tossing back his drink.

When had he reduce to this? To a man drinking vodka, rum, and gin on a daily basis. It's been a week since he'd given up, yet he wasn't ready to return to Pallet. He was staying with Brock and the Brocklings at the gym. How could he return home to Pallet without her after telling his mom _they'd _be back. he slammed the shotglass down onto the bar. Maybe she should put more of that triple secs stuff and less of the orange juice into this. He didn't want to think, he wanted to be comfortably numb. At least for tonight. Tonight would be the last time he sat at this bar, in the stool, ordering whatever the hell he was currently drinking.

He raised his glass one more time and the bartender walked over, "You want something else? That many Humilau Ices can take a toll on someone." He glared at her, didn't she want her tip. Either he said that aloud or she was intimidated by his glare, more then likely the former, but she went back to making him his drinks. He looked back at the couple beside him, the man was currently alone, nursing a beer. Ah, the girl had left. He flet bad, but it's better to learn now than later.

They always leave.

_Fake a smile, yeah, lie and say that, you're better now than ever, and your life's okay_

The man exited the car and walked up to the picket fence surrounding the cute farm-style home. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he opened the gate and walked up the path. Before he could even reach the door, it was already thrown off it's hinges. A brown haired woman stood in the doorway, a toddler dozing off on her hip. But at the sight of the man coming up the walk, the toddler's eyes widened.

"Daddy!" the boy yelled, squirming in his grandmother's grasp. The woman put him down and the child ran towards his father, "Daddy!" he yelled again, grasping onto his father's leg. The man smiled down at his son and picked him up. "Hey little man, have you been good for grandma?" the woman bore a small smile. Her son was finally back with his son, but sadly his wife wasn't beside him. Looking into his eyes, the woman almost cried. He was a shell of what he was. His eyes no longer held that spark, they still seemed as dull and void as they were when he left. She remembered this feeling. Oh Mew, it was torture. But thankfully he had Benji with him. Benji would help him become whole again. The love from his son would get him back on his feet.

The child babbled on, telling his dad about everything he had missed during the past month. How he had played with this toy, how he had slept in his father's old bed, how he tried new foods. But do keep in mind what he actually said is a bit different, seeing as he only has about one hundred words in his vocabulary.

"Benji, you ready to go home?" the toddler gave his father an excited yes, and the man faked a smile at his mother. "I'll call you later okay? I just really wanna go home." the woman nodded, bringing both of her boys into a hug. "Stay strong hon, it gets better." the man kissed his mother's cheek and walked off towards the lab. The elderly professor was outside when he noticed the man approaching.

"Benji and I are going back home." the professor felt for the man in front of him, he was going home without her.

_You're doing all these things out of desperation, You're going through six degrees of separation._

_First, you think the worst is a broken heart. What's gonna kill you is the second part. And the third, Is when your world splits down the middle_

The man stood in the foyer of his home. He was thinking of selling it. Everything reminded him of her, and he wanted a clean slate. He wanted no memory of her, well except for Benji, but aside from him, he wanted nothing to remind him of the redhead. He started with the pictures on the wall. He removed each and every one and moved them into the attic. _Out of sight out of mind right?_

He then moved on to the mess that was their bedroom. He decided this time he'd clean it up completely. About a month ago, give or take a week or two, he tried to clean it up, but he ended up just passing out on his bed, and spent the rest of the week sleeping on the couch. He reached into the back of their closet and grabbed an old knapsack. The man wandered around the room, grabbing any clothes left by her and tossing them in the bag. This was it.

The man felt like he was being ripped in two. One side wishing to stay, patiently waiting. She had to come back right? If not for his sake, for Benji's. But then the other wanted to throw it all away and move on. He groaned, and sat down on the corner of his bed. Why'd she just have to leave without saying anything? Couldn't she at least have left him a letter. A simple note saying what he had done. He would have taken even 'I'm leaving you' written on a Post-It note. He just wanted something definite, something that would help him grasp the fact she was gone. Something that would force him to move on from this state.

"Daddy!" the toddler ran in with a big smile plastered onto his face. The child threw his Entei stuffed animal at his dad. "Rawrrr." the toddler growled, shaping his tiny hands into claws. The man smiled at his son and got down on all fours, "Rawrrr!" the toddler squealed and ran away from his dad, who was currently attempting to crawl after his son. Though the attempt was short-lived. The man stood and and began stomping around the house, as if he were a Tyranitar.

"Fee-fi-fo-fum!" the man yelled, nearing his sons room. The toddler was currently hiding in his closet. "I wonder where he could be." the man asked, rubbing his chin as if he was deep in thought. Then he heard a stifled giggle come from behind the closet door. The man, still stomping around, continued his banter, pretending he didn't know where his son was. Finally he threw open the closet door and grab his son. The child began giggling like a mad man when his father tossed him onto his bed.

"Rawrr!" the man laughed, falling onto the bed beside his son. Sadly, the happy atmosphere didn't last long. "Where's mommy?" the toddler asked, looking up at his father with big green eyes, the same eyes as his mother. The man's smile fell as he pulled his son into a hug, "I don't know Benji. I don't know."

_And fourth, you're gonna think that you fixed yourself. Fifth, you see them out with someone else. And the sixth, is when you admit that you may have messed up a little_

The woman stared at the television screen seeing the couple walk passed the cameraman. The girl turned and smiled, yet the man didn't even acknowledge him. Her arm was looped through his and he seemed to have no qualms with that. And that's what killed the woman. It had been four months, _fourfuckingmonths_, yet there he was. Flaunting off his new arm candy. And Mew was she beautiful. She had long, silky black hair that looked almost purple in certain parts.

Though she shouldn't be surprised. People told her day in and day out she was holding him back. Everyone, whether they worked for her husband -right, divorce papers, gotta do that- or just saw them out together, seemed to question the couple. Usually it was those who worked with him, mainly his advisors who'd say things like that. That she was holding him back; that he shouldn't be at home playing Mr. Dad when he could be out there being the Pokemon Master; that he could have done so much better. Hell, some old lady even went as far as to say she should have kept her legs closed!

But the woman swallowed everything they said, because he loved her. At least she thought he had. The letter -more like line- he had written her was the breaking point. Was being settled down really that horrible? The woman sighed, she was holding him back, wasn't she? Cause there he was in broad daylight holding onto the arm of some goddess.

The woman groaned and fell into the couch. How could he rebound that fast? Was she really that irrelevant to him? Sure, she left him, but her heart broke the moment she took that first step out of the house. She couldn't even look at a single man she passed on the streets, yet there he was with his new _girlfriend_. And the girl had no problem saying it to the cameraman. The woman stared at the perfect doll on the screen, was she the woman he was "unfaithful" with?

The screen quickly went blank and a saddened Leaf walked into the room. She sat beside the woman and bounced her daughter on her knee. "Mist, I know you love him, but you can't do this to yourself. So what if he moved on to some savings bond broad and you're sitting on a lumpy, orange couch. You are Misty-" the woman covered her daughter's ears "- fucking Waterflower. Stop wallowing and forget the jerk! He doesn't deserve you if he wants her! And we really need a better couch! Why did I let Gary pick this out?!"

The woman looked at her friend and sighed, if he could move on that quick, maybe just maybe, she could too. She placed a hand to her swollen belly. She was now five months along, her baby started quickening about a month ago. She pushed gently against her bump and felt her baby kick back. She was having a boy, a boy who packed quite a kick. The woman smiled down at the bump, she could do this. As Leaf said, she's _Misty fucking Waterflower_! And they really did need a new couch.

_You tell your friends, yeah, strangers too. Anyone who'll throw an arm around you_

The man sat down on the stool beside the island. He felt awkward being there. They were definitely judging him. So he went on a date with his advisor's daughter the other night. He had a right to be with whoever he wanted right now, his wife, correction soon to be _ex_wife, was obviously not coming back. The girl was a rebound, someone to simply try and get him back on his feet. Sure it probably wasn't ideal to go on a date four months after your wife leaves, but he had to stop moping around. Life sucks, get used to it right?

He looked up at the blue haired woman in front of him, "Ash, sweetie, are you sure you're ready for dating again? You never know maybe she'll-" the woman started but he cut her off, "What? Come back? Ha! It's been four months, I don't think Mist wants anything to do with me." he groaned and placed his cheek against the cold, marble counter. "Plus you weren't there. Seeing the bedroom in the state it was. Oh Mew, it was like having your life torn from you. She's not coming back, trust me. It's heart wrenching, but I have to get over it. I'm done with the pitiful glances I get from everyone, like the look you're giving me right now!"

The woman looked down at her hands and sighed. She remembered the night he showed up to May's birthday barbecue with just his son. It was heartbreaking watching him sit down by himself and try to explain to Drew that Misty wouldn't be attending. He didn't tell them she had left, but the woman soon figured out something was wrong as she watched a tear roll down his cheek. She had gotten it out of him that evening, right before he went into the den to pick up his son, she had found out he was going to be a single father. He then explained it to each one of them, probably figuring the more he said it, and accepted it, the easier it eventually would become.

It had been four months since she'd seen that glint he had in his eyes; four months since her friend had changed. He told her, for Benji's sake, he was going to move on, that what happened happened, there's no way to change it. Though she could tell when he spoke, he was just saying words. He meant none of it. He knew he'd never fully recover from this. That he'd never fully move on from the one woman he'd truly ever loved.

_You're only doing things out of desperation. You're goin' through six degrees of separation._

"Junk, junk, junk, huh?"

A brunette placed the stack of mail onto the coffee table and walked into the kitchen holding a large manila envelope. The return address was that of some law firm in Kanto, a divorce law firm. The brunette sighed and handed the envelope to her friend. "The rest of the mail's inside. All junk." the man nodded and took the envelope from her and began to break the seal, not even reading it's return address. Inside were a couple pages, but what caught his attention were the words 'Bill of Divorce' written as the header.

Within seconds the papers were thrown onto the table. The man groaned and placed his head in his hands. This was what he was dreading. The papers had sticky tabs beside different lines. The blue tabs were where she was to sign, the red ones were where he was to sign. They were foolproof, he couldn't even pretend like he didn't know what he was doing an mess it up. No, you truly had to lack a brain to not comprehend this. He looked through his fingers down at the papers on the or never huh? He reached over to the little pail of pens nestled against the wall at the edge of the table.

The brunette and her husband who sat across from the man both swallowed a lump in their throats. This was it wasn't it? This was the end. The watched the man uncap the pen and hover it over the line marked for him to sign. A blue haired woman entered the room with a baby on her hip, "Hey guys what's-" the woman stopped talking when she noticed the states her friends were in. The married couple looked like magikarp with their mouths gaping like that, while the man looked at war with himself over the piece of paper in front of him.

That's when she noticed what it was.

Her daughter who was cooing happily on her hip looked up at her now starstruck mother. She reached up grabbed her mother's hair. "Right. Jocelyn." the woman said, tearing her gaze from the man. Was he going to sign it? The woman turned to the stove where several bottles were being warmed up. She placed her daughter in a highchair, something his wife had left behind in the midst of her departure, and began testing the temperatures of the bottles on her wrist. The man pushed his seat back and stood up abruptly, startling the cooing baby.

"Ash what are you-" the brunette started as she watched the man walk into the dining room. "Ash?" the brunette's husband asked, brushing his green bangs out of his eyes. They all followed him into the dinning room noticing him standing in front of his fireplace. The man then threw the papers into the roaring fire.

"Oops."

_First, you think the worst is a broken heart. What's gonna kill you is the second part. And the third, Is when your world splits down the middle_

The woman groaned as she placed her head in her hands is was the third attempt at getting these blasted papers signed. Yet he never returned them. Why wouldn't he sign these papers, he was with another woman! Why couldn't he just sign them so he wouldn't be cheating anymore. Gary told her she could always opt for a contested divorce, but for some reason her gut told her not too. Or maybe that was just the baby kicking. Either way, she had this feeling to not go through with it.

Leaf rubbed her friend's back and hummed soothingly. "Babe, look at me. Too much stress is bad for the baby. Relax, there has to be a reason for him to not send them back. Maybe he moved or something." and that made the woman laugh. Wouldn't they send back the mail if she had the wrong address. Plus Leaf was right. This would be too much stress on the baby. If he didn't want to fill out the paperwork, she'd give up on trying to force him. A pregnant woman could only do some much.

The woman stood from her seat at the table. Her lawyer billed her each time she had to send a new folder of paperwork to him anyway, why waste the money. Couldn't he have just signed the blasted papers?! Did he want to be with that woman on the screen? Why would he want to be still married to her when he had _that_, a work of art, on call? The woman groaned again, though this time from the soreness. Her feet were killing her, and it was so awkward having her sisters come out to visit her. Daisy was already packing her bags by the time she had hung up, the other two didn't really know what was going on.

During the phone call, Daisy asked a question that plagued her mind for the past few months. Should she tell him of her -_their_- kid?

Was she going to tell him? Why'd she have to be pregnant again? Why did there have to be this long list of baggage? Rubbing her swollen belly, the woman glanced up. No. She was going to raise her two kids on her own, well with the help of her fellow housemates. But the woman knew, the moment she walked out she was alone in this. There was no turning back. It was over; she was done. And that's what was so hard.

Maybe she needed to go back to her roots, back to Cerulean, back to find herself.

The woman got up and told her friend she was going out. She needed to clear her head before her sisters got here. She began walking through Cinnabar, trying to relax herself, even if her feet were swollen and hurt like hell, she still beat on.

"Misty?" a male voice called out behind her, "Misty is that you?" the woman's eyes widened in recognition. _Oh Mew. _

_And fourth, you're gonna think that you fixed yourself. Fifth, you see them out with someone else. And the sixth, is when you admit that you may have messed up a little_

The man sat at his kitchen table, his son running around chasing after Pikachu with a pokeball in his hands. He placed the pile of mail onto the table before asking Benji what game he was playing? Apparently the boy was pretending to be his daddy. The man smiled at his son before filling through the letters. After an assortment of bills and random junk mail he saw an unmarked white envelope. His curiosity had gotten the better of him, and it was the first letter the man opened.

Inside the envelope was a picture of a redhead and a dark haired man swallowed a lump in his throat, it was Misty smiling away at something Rudy said. She left him, for _Rudy_? The man then shook his head. He shouldn't jump start to conclusions; the time they met Rudy, Misty picked him over the trust fund brute, and the next couple times they ran into him, she still picked him over Rudy. The two might have just ran into each other. He looked in the background though, trying to figure out where she actually was, but sadly the shop they were standing in front of was blurred out. Seems the mystery behind her whereabouts would still be in play.

He then flipped to the next picture in the sequence and saw a picture of the two buying a food at a local street vendor. So the jerk doesn't always eat from five-star restaurants. But what killed him the most were her eyes. They were always so expressive and full of love, and those eyes were directed at him. Maybe this time she had picked Rudy over him. The man ran his fingers through his hair, sure her eyes weren't screaming how she loved him, but they held a spark that only he was able to ignite.

The final picture was of Rudy bidding her adieu. He had kissed her hand and she just smiled back in return. The man placed the pictures down on the table, had she moved on? Really it had only been four- but he stopped himself. He really couldn't complain, he had already been on a date with his advisor's daughter. But it hurt to know the past several years had only been a blip to her, yet to him they were the greatest moments of his life.

He glanced down at his son and smiled. At least one good thing came out of this mess. He still had Benji. She could have taken everything from him, but she left him with some happiness, the greatest son any man could ever ask for.

"Daddy, I gotta pee!"

_No there's no starting over, without finding closure. You'd take them back, no hesitation, that's when you know you've reached the sixth degree of separation_

_No, no, there ain't no help. It's every man for himself_

"Ahhh!" a scream filled the empty hall, followed by rasp gasps of air. "One, two, three, push." a doctor told the woman, and the woman glared at him, "The fuck do you think I'm doing!" A brunette grabbed the woman's hand, and began to rub it. "You're doing great love!" she said, encouraging the tired redhead. Out of the three children the woman had, this one was the worst. She'd been in labor for twenty-six hours, twenty-six! Benji took a little less than eight, and Rory practically just walked on out!

"I need forceps." the doctor said, turning to one of her nurses. The young nurse nodded and grabbed what was asked. The currently screaming woman looked at what was placed into the doctor's hands. "That's going in me?!" The doctor nodded before saying a couple soothing words to the woman. "This is to help the baby out." The woman looked at the object and said, "That looks like something used to serve salad, not get a baby out."

The brunette shook her head, "Trust her Mist. I had to have it done." The woman turned towards her friend, "You had the salad tongs?" the brunette smiled and rubbed her friends hand again, "Deep breaths Mist."

"AH FUCK!" the woman yelled, "No man is ever touching me again!" The brunette grabbing her other hand laughed. He was currently facing the wall, away from the "miracle" that has happened. He figured she didn't want him looking down there, and plus he really didn't want to.

"You know Mist, I'm technically touching you."

The woman gritted her teeth and looked at the man beside her. She forcibly gripped his hand, digging her fingernails into him for good measure, "_I will castrate you_." she hissed. The man stopped laughing and looked up at the ceiling, ending his banter. A happy Misty meant no harm to him.

"JUST GET OUT ALREADY!" the woman cried. Even with the help of the forceps, her child was still not ready to come out. She should have known something was wrong when her water broke. Usually the doctor's were supposed to break it. It's not supposed to break itself when you're at the park watching your niece. Oh god, she even called her mom saying her aunt was dying because she peed herself.

"I see a head, he's crowning!" The doctor announced, the woman then began to push harder, if that was even possible. He was there, he was almost out. After one final push the woman heard the sweet melody of a baby crying. The woman smiled and collapsed into the pillows, as she listened to her baby's voice resonate throughout the room. He was out. Her little boy was finally out.

"Ma'am, would you like to hold your son?" the woman sat up and held out her arms. He was tiny, a lot smaller than Benji was, hell maybe even tinier than Rory. But he was perfect anyway. She grabbed his hand and smiled down at him. "Hey baby, I'm your mommy."

_No, no, there ain't no help. It's every man for himself_

"Dad!" a voice carried from the attic, "Dad!" The man in question ran up the stairs, thinking something was wrong. He reached the second floor and noticed the attic door was thrown open "Dad!" the boy yelled, and the man quickly ran inside. Was Benji trapped in the crawl space again?

"Benji? Where are you?" the man asked, but then he saw his son seated in front of the window, digging through a box. "Who's the lady?" his son asked, lifting one of the frames out of the box. The picture was solely of Misty, back when they were still dating. She had posed for Daisy, who at the time was going through an artsy photographer stage. She was standing in the water at Cerulean Cape, holding onto her floppy sun hat. The picture actually looked like something a professional would take, but as actually taken on accident. A breeze picked up and the woman was just trying to keep her hat on and Daisy just happened to take the picture. The man smiles softly, that was his favorite picture of her.

"She's in every picture, see!" the boy said, lifting a couple more pictures out of the box. One of Misty bouncing a one-year old Benji on her hip while she sung happy birthday. Another was of the two of them at their wedding. It was small, and they had set up a large white tent in the backyard of the lab. The two of them were seated at the table, with him rubbing her new golden band adorned her finger. The final one he pulled out was taken during Misty's second pregnancy, and made it look like she was glowing. "Is she my mom?" the young boy asked.

The man sat down next to his son and nodded, "That's her." He picked up the picture of her holding Benji and wondered if she ever thought about him. She just picked up Rory and left, did she ever think about the son she left behind? "I don't remember much about her, just that she had red hair and would sing me to sleep." The man laughed. His son actually cried the first time he tried singing him to sleep like she had, at the time she was still there and told him to leave that to mommies.

"She's really pretty." his son said, glancing at the woman hidden behind the glass, "She was beautiful, yet never believed me when I'd tell her. She'd just tell me that's what husband's are supposed to say." the young boy smiled and silently asking for the frame from his dad. The man handed it over and watched his son intently; the boy flipped over the wooden frame and began to slide the fastenings to release the backing. He then removed the picture from the frame and held it in front of him.

"What was her name?"

The man placed an arm around his son's shoulders pulling him closer, "Misty, Misty Ket- Waterflower." the man caught himself, even though after all this time they were still married, she was no longer his. He no longer could call her his, she was no longer a Ketchum. "You think I'll ever meet her again?" the man's eyes widened. "Cause I know she's not dead, I've always known, deep down that she's somewhere out there. You think I'll ever meet her again?"

"Yeah, you definitly will."

_No, no, there ain't no help. It's every man for himself_

**Okay so challenge! I NEED A HUSBAND FOR DAWN (ie: Paul, Barry, Kenny, other random men) AND A NAME FOR ASH'S "GIRLFRIEND"!**

**If you didn't guess, Benji's older in the last scene, he's about six**

**I'm actually basing a bit of the Ash and Misty stuff off of Sweet Home Alabama and What a Girl Likes. I pictured Ash saying "Nobody finds their soul mate when they're ten. I mean, where's the fun in that, right?" while he was "signing" the divorce papers. Cause its true, he found his soulmate at ten; and that's one of my favorite lines ever! Also the scene where Jake's supposed to sign the divorce papers is when he says that...**

**Also when Ash is looking at the pictures and becomes upset over Misty's interaction with Rudy, I had Channing Tatum's line from **_**The Vow **_**in my head. "I see the way you look at him. I know, because you used to look at me that way." And then I started like crying because I love these guys so much and that scene always makes me cry, "I hope one day I can love the way that you love me", "You figured it out once, you'll do it again." :(**

**The way Leaf speaks, you know calling people "sweetie, love, babe," is actually how I speak. I never really noticed it until my friend pointed it out, but I'm usually like, "Aw sweetie, you okay?" or "Hello love" or "Uh Sweetheart." It's just a habit I randomly adapted, like how I say y'all yet I live in up north :/**

**Oh! And sorry for the long wait, for all of you that actually care. I've been filling out scholarships and working on my thesis. The downfall of being a senior, you have all this crap to do...**

**Peace mah fellow pokeshippers :D**


	3. It's time to begin, isn't it?

**Hey guys :)**

**I'm finally done filling for scholarships -well the one's out at the moment- and I handed in my thesis this morning! :D**

**So I'm gonna try and update more than I am now.**

**And someone said to name Ash's girlfriend after my "enemy", turns out my enemy shares a name with **_**two **_**of my best friends and I was like yeahhhhh no...**

* * *

_So this is what you meant when you said that you were spent, and now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit right to the top don't hold back. Packing my bags and giving the academy a rain check_

* * *

Misty sat in the wicker chair, rocking her son to sleep. He had recently come home from the hospital, and the thought of telling Ash plagued her mind. She knew she should tell him, but she didn't know how. Send a picture? No. Write him a letter? Possible. Visit him- OH HELL NO! Urgh! Why did her life have to suck so much? Why couldn't she just be like ",You got a son, kay? Kay, now bye." Well she _could _but she didn't really want to see him. Liam had recently closed his eyes, finally being lulled to sleep. She stood up and placed him in his bassinet.

Urgh why wasn't there an instruction manual you know like "The Guide to Telling Your Ex-but-not-really-ex Husband of your Son for Dummies"? They had a book on everything else! Actually now that she thought about it, maybe they did have one. She collapsed backed into the chair and stared up out the rainbow ceiling fan, though it was moving too fast for you to distinguish the colors and kinda make them look like a gross brown color.

The door to her room was opened and in stepped Leaf, "Hey Love, how you feeling?" Misty groaned and ran her fingers down her face, "How the hell do I tell him? I know he deserves to know, but how? I really don't want to see him cause I know I'd fall apart, but urgh!" she groaned again before throwing herself off the chair and onto the floor. "Sweetie, you do know the floor won't tell you the answer right?"

Misty rolled her eyes, and pushed herself up into Arbok position, "Maybe the floor felt like being a _sweetie _and help this amazingly distressed damsel." Leaf glared at her friend, so she had little endearing words she squeezed into sentences subconsciously she couldn't help it, it just kinda happened. Plus, Gary thought it was cute.

"You could always just package him up and ship him to Ash, but make sure you give him a return back package as well or you'll never get Liam back." Misty sneered at her friend, why'd she name her godmother? Right cause she put up with a hormonal Misty for nine months _and _is currently helping her take care of her kids -and get back on her feet. Leaf walked over to the bassinet and looked down at her godson, "You know, we could just like wave him around on a video and send it to Ash, then you technically wouldn't have to see him, and he'd know he had a son." She glared up at her friend, they were not going to _wave _her kid around, oh hell to the no!

Gary then ran into the room, with a burping towel over his shoulder and a frantic look on his face. "How do I change a diaper?!" he yelled, causing his wife to face-palm, and Misty to smack her face into the floor. "Hon don't do that! You could damage your head!" she looked up at Leaf and said, "Girl, I did this all the time when Ash would say something stupid, it doesn't hurt." Leaf huffed and marched out of the room while muttering about her imbecile housemates.

"I'm not a _housemate_, I'm your husband!"

* * *

_I don't ever wanna let you down, I don't ever wanna leave this town. 'Cause after all this city never sleeps at night_

* * *

"Wait guys slow down!" a short, green haired girl yelled chasing after the group ahead of her. "Henry wait up!" the girl yelled again, running as fast as her legs would carry her. She caught up to the group of three boys who didn't seem as pleased to be held back from their trek.

"What Liv?" a brown haired boy asked, turning to face the girl. His emerald green eyes locked with her sapphire ones, annoyance swimming in them. The two boys beside him looked at the girl, the one on his left flipped his purple hair out of his eyes, while the one on his right played with a loose strand of hair. The girl asked where they were going? The boy in question looked at her and sighed, "Liv we're just going to Benji's." he said, walking in the direction of the other boy's house. The girl glared at the boy, at all of them; ever since they started traveling they seemed more and more pompous, and less and less like the kids she has grown to know.

The three boys, and 'Liv' walked towards Benji's house where the parents were currently having a barbecue. Benji's dad stood by the grill tending to the meal; Nathan's parents were setting up the table and getting out the utensils; and two other adults were assembling the salads and pouring drinks. "Hey Mom!" Liv yelled, running up to the brunette setting the forks and knives on the napkins. "Mom, Henry's being a meanie!" the girl said, sticking her tongue out at the boy. "Mom, I'm not being mean, she just gets upset that we don't wanna talk to her." The brunette woman locked eyes with her husband who simply shrugged. He was going to deal with their kids _after _they've eaten.

Ash walked over to the table with a plate full of assorted grilled foods, "Eat up!" he placed the plate on the table and hugged his son, "Hey, how was your morning?" The boy hugged his dad back and said they had fun training. The purple haired boy laughed and said how Benji seemed to be getting worse, which resulted in a shove from him. A purple haired male exited the house and ruffled the hair of the younger purple haired boy. "Training went well?" he asked in a monotone, which gained an excited yes.

Two girls, one with purple hair and one with blue, ran out of the house trailing an older bluette. "Welcome back boys, have fun training?" the older woman asked. "Yeah! Henry actually beat Benji!" the purple haired boy said, sitting down next to his dad. "Will! He did not! I let him win!" Benji yelled back in defense. The boy huffed and folded his arms at his bust. He was the son of the Pokémon Master, he didn't lose. The girl with green hair's jaw dropped as she turned to her brother, "You actually won a Pokémon battle?" the boy glared at her, was it really that shocking to her? He could battle, sure he'd rather participate in Contests, but he could still fight. He brushed his green bangs out of his eyes, urgh he really needed to cut these.

"So Benji!" the blue haired girl called out, as the boy sat down next to his dad at the head of the table, "You guys know where you're traveling to next?" Benji looked at his two traveling companions, silently asking both if they were okay with his idea. When both nodded in response, Benji smiled, "We're going to Kanto."

Ash's eyes widened, Kanto?! He'd recently heard from Forrest that Misty had returned to her post as Gym Leader of Cerulean, a job she has apparently been back in for a couple years. Her sisters were back to doing their own thing; traveling the world, doing stupid modeling stuff, and she was back to doing hers; battling trainers. Benji didn't really know much about his mother so there wasn't anything to worry about right?

The older blue haired woman looked up, pointing her plastic fork at Benji. "You're going to visit your grandma right?" The boy nodded at his aunt and started to eat his meal. Him and his friends were going to be living within the next few days. They were supposed to walk with Henry's and Will's younger sisters towards the lab, and then they'd be flown off to Kanto. Benji then looked up at the three girls at the table; even though Henry and Will complained about them constantly, they were lucky to have siblings. They had people who looked up to them, and hung on to every word they said. A sibling was something Benji always wanted.

Will had two sister; Jocelyn -who was starting her journey as a Coordinator- and Ezra -who still had a few years to go-. Jocelyn had purple hair like Will and their father, but like their mother was a complete girly girl, who loves fashion, and cute Pokémon. Ezra was more of the tougher girl. Playing with the guys in town instead of playing with dolls. Knows all the rules to battling, but couldn't even tell you what a sticker is for Contests. Ezra looked more like their mom with long, straight blue hair, though hers was darker. Though she had the cold, dark eyes of their father.

Henry had Liv; a girl aspiring to be a Coordinator. She like Jocelyn, would be leaving for her journey soon, though unlike Jocelyn who wants to win _every _Contest, Liv is fine just winning one. Heck she was fine with second place. Liv, or Olivia, has green hair -lighter than her father's- cut into a wavy bob, and she has her mother's sapphire blue eyes. Unlike her brother, who had more of his father's features, Liv is a perfect blend of the two.

"So, you know what Pokémon you guys are going to get?" Ezra asked, bouncing in her seat. She couldn't wait for the day she turned ten. she already knew what Pokémon she'd have, which ones she wanted to catch, and already pictured her name engraved on the Ever Grand Conference trophy... Then she thought about it. Do they engrave the trophy?

"I guess I'll get a Torchic, it's pretty cute." Jocelyn said, thinking about the starters Professor Birch would have. Liv thought a bit harder than Jocelyn on it. She was to have the Pokémon through it all, she was going to spend as much time as she could thinking it over. Liv didn't want a Torchic, so Joce could have it. A Treecko could be cool, but so could Mudkips. She looked towards Benji and Henry. Benji had gotten a Mudkip two years ago, and her brother got a Treecko. Then she thought about it, the reason she wasn't getting a Torchic was because her mom had it and she wanted to work with a different Pokémon, not one she's known her whole life. If she got a Treecko, would she be doing the same thing? Liv then smiled and said, "I'm getting a Mudkip."

Benji then looked up from his meal, "Be careful, they may seem cute, but they're evil!" Will then turned to his friend and asked, "Is it time for you to go nighty night?"

* * *

_It's time to begin, isn't it? I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit I'm just the same as I was_

* * *

"Benji!" Ash called from the kitchen. After ten years on their own you'd think he'd finally be able to cook but no, he had Dawn over helping make the meal. "Benji!" he called again, this time getting a response. Dawn was currently making sandwiches, much more than would be needed, but they were growing kids, you never knew how much they'd eat. Benji walked into the kitchen, his bag slung over his shoulder, "Sorry, I was getting something." he said sheepishly when he noticed the intense glares coming from the two girls seated at the kitchen table.

"If we're late and don't get a starter, I'm personally going to kill you." Jocelyn said, lifting her bag off the table and motioning for them to leave. Will clapped his friend on the shoulder, "Just think. If you survive the hour, you won't see her again for about a year." Liv and Henry then got up from the table and followed their friends out the door, Benji tailing two steps behind them.

Dawn placed the knife in the sink and thought about what she was going to do next. Ash had just said goodbye to his son and was currently heading to the bathroom. This would be her only shot. She raced towards the door and called for Benji to come back quick. Jocelyn groaned, telling her mom how she was going be like Uncle Ash and be the last one to show up. Though unlike Ash, she wouldn't get a Pokémon. Dawn shrugged off her over dramatic daughter and told her to go on without him. Benji stood on the porch in front of Dawn, waiting for her to say what she had to say. "Benji, why do you want to go to Kanto? Be honest." Benji looked up at his aunt in question, what did she mean? Did he really need a reason to go somewhere? "Because I was talking to Will about a week before the barbecue and he thought you guys were going to Unova." Benji looked down at his feet. It was his idea. He had come up with it that day, and his friends understood his reasoning. Would his aunt understand too?

"It's because of your mom right?" she asked, and his head shot up. "You wanna meet your mom?" Benji slowly nodded and unzipped the side pocket on his backpack, "I have her picture so I know _what _she looks like but I don't know _where _she is." Dawn was shocked, Ash gave him a picture of Misty? No, Benji had to have taken it on his own. "Do you know anything about her?" Benji looked at Dawn hopefully. His biggest dream in life wasn't to become a Pokémon Master like everyone thought. His dream was to meet his mom, and she wouldn't even have to know he was her son, he just wanted to meet her. "She's a g- she lives in Cerulean. And I know for a fact, you will meet her." Dawn said with a smile. Dawn decided against telling him what his mother did as a living, he'd find out soon enough. She watched the broad smile develop on his features. Benji was ecstatic, he was finally going to meet her!

Benji hugged his aunt then ran off to catch up with the group, while Dawn leaned against the door jam in thought. The smile on his face was enough to know she said the right thing, but what happens if Misty isn't what Benji had always imaged. What if he created a dream Misty and the real one wasn't what he thought? But she watched as he nearly ran into Henry and began speaking zestfully, his arms flailing about as he spoke. Maybe he was telling them of the estranged mother he was to meet. Maybe he was telling them of how he'd finally be with her. And that was enough for Dawn to know she did the right thing. Benji now had something to look forward to.

Jocelyn had run up ahead of the group, completely unaware of Benji's happy attitude. She wanted her Pokémon and she wasn't going to miss out on it. She came to Professor Birch's lab and was escorted into one of the rooms, a timid Liv shadowing her. "Do you know what you want?" Jocelyn nodded, eagerly, and looked at the three Pokéballs seated in front of her.

"I choose you, Torchic!" she yelled, opening one of the Pokéballs but to his dismay it wasn't Torchic, it was a Treecko.

"Hey sis! You and your Torchic are gonna be a great pair." Will teased, getting a laugh out of Henry and Benji. The girl groaned and grabbed the next Pokéball. "Uhh that's not-" Professor Birch started but Jocelyn had already opened the Pokéball, and through the flash of light she saw a Mudkip. "Seriously!" she yelled, about to return the Pokémon to it's ball when Liv said she'd like to have the Mudkip as her partner. The mud fish Pokémon stared up at her, assessing if she'd be a worthy partner or not. Liv held out her hand and smiled, "I'm Olivia."

The Pokémon seemed to like her for he jumped right at her. Liv barely had time to catch him, but thankfully she did. "Hey little guy, you want a name, or you fine with Mudkip?" The Pokémon shook his head and she smiled, "Okay, Mudkip is it." Professor Birch then handed Liv a mint green Pokédex, explaining to her how it worked.

After watching her friend bond with her Mudkip, Jocelyn turned to the last Pokéball. She picked it up and held it towards Professor Birch, "This is Torchic right?" the professor nodded and watched the girl throw the Pokéball up. The small orange chick Pokémon stood on the counter beside Jocelyn, looking up at her. "Hey, you wanna be my partner?" The chick, cocked her head to the side and stared up at Jocelyn. The smile plastered on Jocelyn's face started to flatter, did she not like her? She had waited years to finally be able to get a Pokémon and now te one she wanted didn't want her? Torchic then walked towards the end of the counter and pecked her wrist.

"Ow!" Jocelyn yelled, pulling her wrist back and glared at the Torchic. Well fine, if the Pokémon didn't like her so be it. There was a Treecko in the other ball. Torchic then jumped up in down, calling, "Tor, tor!" Professor Birch smiled and handed a pink Pokédex to Jocelyn, "Congrats. You've gained her approval."

Jocelyn glared at the older man, "Her approval is hurting me?"

* * *

_Now don't you understand that I'm never changing who I am_

* * *

The door to the lab was thrown open as three kids stumbled in. Professor Oak turned from what he was doing and watched the trio. "Hey Gramps, I just got an email from Professor Alden, asking me to come to the Oldale Ruins. He said that he found something and- Oh look children I see everyday." Gary said, looking up from his clipboard. In front of the man stood his two kids, and his niece.

Gary then looked to his right and noticed the Pokéballs, "I'm guessing y'all are here for these?" He questioned, pretending as if he didn't know. "Dad!" the twins yelled, but laughed; their dad was weird. "I want a Charmander!" the boy declared, looking over at the pedestal housing the three Pokéballs. "Can I get a Pikachu?" his daughter asked, staring at the three balls. "The Pokémon Master has a Pikachu and I heard he was from here." Gary looked up at his grandpa, who shrugged, and walked into the other room.

"Oi! You come back here and do your job Old Man! You haven't retired yet!" Gary yelled, leaning through the doorway of the room his grandpa just entered, "Fine Gary." Professor Oak said, walking back towards him, "I retire. The lab's yours." Gary groaned and pulled at his messy hair, the Old Man sucked.

"Oi brats." he said, gaining the attention of the three kids, "One at a time." was all he said before he watched them start pushing each other out of the way. Rory was the first one to make it to the pedestal She turned around and stuck her tongue out at her traveling companions, "The future Pokémon Master goes first." She turned back and looked at the three Pokéballs in front of her. She went to grab the ball on the right, but something drew her to the Pokeball on the left. She didn't know why but she felt an attraction, as if she was supposed to choose that one. Unsure of what was in the ball, she didn't call out any name. She watched the flash of light dissipate and in it's place stood a Squirtle. Rory smiled down at the tiny turtle Pokémon and extended her hand. "The name's Aurora Waterflower. I'm gonna be the next Pokémon Master, you in?" The Squirtle looked at her then nodded, "Squirtle squirt!" it cheered. Rory bent down to the Pokémon's level and ran it over his bald head. "You like the name Shellshocker?" He eagerly nodded in response. "Alright!" she cheered, standing up to her full height, "Master Aurora, and her awesome partner Shellshocker!"

Gary walked over to her and handed the girl a cerulean blue Pokédex, "You know how this works right?" Rory nodded, of course she kneww. She had spent the past ten years of her life prepping herself on how to become a Pokémon Master. Learning ever trick of the trade.

Next up was Jack. He adjusted his jacket and walked up towards the pedestal He looked at the two then turned to his dad, "Uhh, which one's which?" Gary laughed and pointed to the one in the middle. His son smiled and threw the ball up in the air, "Alright, I choose you Charmander!" He walked as the Pokémon's shape took form. "Charrrr" was all that was needed before Jack cheered triumpthly, "I got a Charmander!" Gary shook his head, "Oi, you gotta make sure he likes you; otherwise he may never listen."

The boy looked at the Pokémon and asked, "Wanna be my Pokémon? Cause I think Charmander's are boss!" the lizard Pokémon stared up at him in confusion, boss? The Charmander turned and looked at the girl beside him, then back at the loud boy, then back at the girl. They looked really similar. They both had messy, dark brown hair, albeit the girl's hair was under a bit more control. They had the same deep brown eyes, and over all the same facial shape. The Charmander then turned to the second girl in the room, yet she looked completely different. Like the two other kids, she was tan, but this girl had light brown hair and green eyes. Charmander put his head down in confusion and Jack's heart broke, believing the Pokémon didn't want to be partners.

"You wanna be partners with Hallie?" he asked, and the Charmander just stared at the floor, "Oi! He's confused, not rejecting you." It took a few seconds for what his dad said to register but Jack was back to cheering about his new Charmander. His sister looked at him as he began to dance and grabbed for the last Pokéball, "Go Bulbasaur!" She watched as the small seed Pokémon came into view. She stared up with curious eyes at the humans in the room. She then turned and saw a Charmander and a Squirtle, "Hey beautiful, I'm Hallie." she said, kneel in front of the Pokémon. She held out her hand and rubbed small circles behind her Pokémon's ear. "Bullllbaaaa." the Pokémon sighed in content. This girl was nice.

Gary then grabbed two Pokédexs, one a dark blue and one the original red color. "You two should know how this works. If not, you're staying home with your mom and I till your birthday." the twins glared at their dad and grabbed their 'dexes. This was it, the three of them were now official Pokémon League trainers. Rory hugged her uncle quick and ran out of the room, with Shellshocker hot on her heels. "Let's go win some battles!"

Gary watched as the three began to jog off, but realized they forgot a key item. They forgot to get extra Pokéballs. "Get back here! How you supposed to catch Pokémon if the only ball you have is your starter's!" The three ran back quickly, and sheepishly asked Gary for a few Pokéballs. He shook his head and handed each other then a small bag. "Your mom decided to put them in these." Gary told Rory as he distributed the bags. Rory pull the drawstrings and saw five Pokéballs instead, perfect. She'd have her team caught, and battle ready in no time!

* * *

**Let me start this by saying I love Gary so much and Blue is the shit!**

**I know it's a bit short and anti-climatic, but this sets up the whole Rory meets Benji arc. Like the irony I added into the second segment about Benji wanting a sibling ;)**

**IF YOU KNOW WHERE I GOT THE NAME SHELLSHOCKER FROM I WILL LOVE YOU FOR ETERNITY! The name came to me and I couldn't figure out why, then I remembered where I've heard it and ohmigod it's just too perfect :D**

**I don't know why, but I try to make each section end with a cute/funny little quip. I hope you guys think they're cute/funny, cause I have a weird sense of humor that either I can get everyone to laugh along or you can hear the crickets chruping**


	4. So we'll come, we will find our way home

**In the Japanese anime, the first episode was aired April 1st and the episode where they reached Cerulean was aired May 13th; so I decided to use that as the actually length of time it took Ash to get there. But since Rory has a better since of direction than her father, and the fact she can't battle yet, I'm making her going from Cerulean to Pallet a bit shorter than the 43 days it took Ash.**

_You swore and said we are not , we are not shining stars. This I know, I never said we are._

Rory glared at the floor in front of her. This was getting them nowhere! They had spent the past few weeks stuck here in Virdian. At this point in her journey Rory pictured herself at least battling her mom, maybe even further. But no. There were stuck in Virdian, the first freaking town you come to! It took them longer than they planned to reach Uncle Gary in Pallet since they insisted on doing this journey right and walking all the way to the lab. There went a good month, give or take a few days. They should have let Mom drive them. It would have only taken a day or two. Then this idiot could not beat the Gym Leader for the life of him. Seriously, this is the _first gym _on the road to being a Pokémon Master; if you can't secure a win here you should just give up. Or at least that's what Hallie has been telling Jack for the passed three weeks. Rory told him to try once more, if not they could always come back.

But Jack's sister gave him a different answer. Hallie threatened to leave Virdian without him, on several occasions. "We came into this world together, and we're going to _stay _together." was Jack's usually response to Hallie. But he knew, every time she threatened to go on without him, that they were just empty threats. Hallie could never leave her twin behind; he truly was her other half. Though it didn't stop her from attempting. She got as far as the route leading out of Viridian before turning back around for her two traveling companions.

Rory was currently sitting on the back of some stone bench, with Hallie next to her; actually sitting on the bench part. "You think the dork's gonna win this time?" the darker haired girl asked, looking up at her friend. Rory began to twirl the Earth Badge around in her hands. "I really hope so. Jack and Charmander have been training really hard all week. And he's been working with that Caterpie he caught the other day. Plus, I don't know how many more times he could take losing before his explodes."

Hallie leaned back on the bench, glancing up out the clouds. "You think with _all this training_, Charmander could beat Shellshocker?" _Hey look that cloud kinda looks like Shelley_.

"Oh Mew, of course not." Hallie smirked, shielding her eyes from the setting sun. You know there's a problem when a fire-type Pokémon couldn't stand his ground against a water-type Pokémon. But she really couldn't blame her brother. Hallie tilted her head back to look at her friend, then shifted to gaze at the tiny turtle Pokémon resting in the grass; Rory was bred for battling. Her whole ten years of life were spent studying and researching battles. From watching her mom kick noob butt in the gym to watching loser after loser challenge the Pokémon Master. And Shelley, uh sorry, Shell_shocker_ was equally as into batlling as his trainer was. Shellshocker was quick on his feet. Two weeks ago, Jack was challenged to a two-on-two battle by a group of fifteen, maybe sixteen year olds and Rory had let him use Shellshocker. Without being ordered to do something by Jack, Shellshocker had one opponent down for the count within three moves. Now that she thought about it. Rory, was making hand gestures and signing things. Her brother opened the doors to the Pokémon Center and beckoned them inside

"Ladies and Shelley - I mean Shellshocker! We'll still have the room for the weekend! I'm going to spend it training!" Hallie turned to Rory who was gentley nudging Shelley's shoulder to wake up the sleeping beauty. Hey! In her head, Hallie could call him whatever she liked without getting water gunned. "You know, we could always just leave Jack to forever try and win the Earth Badge and come back once we kick some League butt."

_Though I've never been through hell like that, I've closed enough windows to know you can never look back _

The trio had walked quietly through the gates of Viridian, starring at the store fronts, and houses of the quiant little town. Benji took the hat off his head and shoved it into his back pocket. "Yo, I'm beat." Henry and Will nodded in agreement. The spent a couple days hanging out with Professor Oak and at Benji's grandmother's house. Then took a few days walk to Viridian. "Y'all up for some grub?" Will asked, looking at both of his traveling companions. Out of nowhere, Benji asked them a seemingly random question. "Hey, I know Henry wants to do the contests and all. But after Pewter can we go straight through Mt. Moon to Cerulean? We can come back for Gardenia and Mulberry, I promise." The two other boys looked at their friend. Benji must have had something really important to do in Cerulean if he wanted to pass over Henry's dream. The two nodded, fine.

A mischeavious glint grew in each boy's eyes as the three sprinted off. The challenge? First one to get food and a room at the local Pokémon Center. But while running through the streets, the group noticed the lighted columns dercorating the walkway leading to the Viridian City Gym. The three stopped what they were doing and threw out the fists.

Rock. Rock. Scissors.

"HA! I WIN!" Henry yelled running up the stairs to the wooden doors. "Uh, hello?" he asked, as he walked through the threshold, "Anyone here?" The lights in the lobby were a bit dim, but he could makeout a figure in the doorway, "Oh ok! I, Henry of Slateport City challenge you to a Pokémon battle." The Gym Leader nodded and had him follow into the arena

A few days later, Benji came slauntering out of the gym, proudly showing everyone he passed the Earth Badge. His friends shaking their hands, but smiling. The trio each officially had their first Kanto badge. The three boys then tuned on their heels and sprinted towards Route 2.

Will wasn't paying attention as to where they were going, and bumped into a short, light brown haired girl, knocking the two to the floor. "Oops, I'm sorry." The girl apologized, but Will just smiled and said it was his fault. He extended his hand out to the girl to help her up and her Squirtle stepped in between the two with crossed arms. Will just stared back at him; the girl had a very protective Pokémon. Pulling his hand back, Will watched as the girl stood up, wiping off her jean shorts. He went to apologize again, this time to the Squirtle as well, but was cut off by both his, and her traveling companions calling out to them. "Sorry, I have to go." both he and the girl muttered before running in opposite directions.

_May your past be the sound, of your feet upon the ground. Carry on._

Jack walked out of the gym, his badge case now heavy one badge. "Look at it... look at it... LOOK AT IT! Pewter prepare for the Jack!" He yelled proudly, thrusting the open case into the air. Looking at each other, both Rory and Hallie pulled out their badges, "Got it on the first try."Rory said before slauntering off, Shellshocker loyally attached at her hip. Hallie flipped her dark chestnut hair and skipped down the steps, "Took two tries, and I whooped some ass." Jack glared down at the two, couldn't they be happy for him? He finally won!

He watched his sister and his best friend both start running and giggling. "Guys wait for me!" he threw his bag over his shoulder and sprinted down the marble steps, running as fast as he could to catch up with his crew. The two girls stopped at the gate, still giggling away. "What? What is so funny?"

"How do you fit five Bulbasaurs and two Charmanders onto a bus?" Rory asked, and Jack just stared at her like she was crazy, "You poke 'em on." Hallie finished. He watched the two of them look at each other and burst out into another fit of giggles. "Why do Miltanks wear bells?" Hallie asked, and Jack blankly stared at them, were they really telling corny joke? "Cause their horns don't work." Rory squealed.

Jack started on Route 2, walking at a brisk pace to get away from them. "Oh come on Jack!" Hallie called after her brother, "We spent like a month and a half doing abosloutely nothing, we had to entertain ourselves somehow!"

Jack turned around and glared at his sister, "I'm sorry I'm not this prodigy trainer like Rory, or this naturally good trainer like you are. I'm sorry I actually have to try and train my Pokémon for days on end. Whilst your Pokémon are practically battle ready from the moment they're born! I'm sorry I'm not you or her! And I'm sick and tried of you pointing it out!" he yelled before storming off towards the Virdian Forest.

"Jack come back here! Hallie was just teasing!" Rory yelled, chasing after her friend. She felt bad, sure Hallie kept ranting about how long it was taking Jack to win his first badge, but Rory understood where she was coming from. The spent the past six weeks helping him train to get said badge, and it's kinda boring seeing the same town everyday when you should be out taking the world by storm. But she also understood where Jack was coming from. He didn't have the same drive as she did. He didn't spend his fifth-eighth birthdays at Pokémon battles; he didn't have the last three Indigo Plataeu League Championships on DVD; he didn't have a Pokémon that was always on the same wavelength as him. He wasn't as prepared as she was. He had to try harder to understand certain moves, countermoves, which types worked best, which types not to use.

"Jack, look. Hallie didn't mean to offend you, she loves you. You're her best friend. Come on how many people are born _with _their best friend? She's just as anxious as all of us. She wants to get out into the world and see it all, conquer it all. And we understand it's hard to just get thrown right into something you've never practiced and that gainging chemistry with your starter isn't alwasy that easy. But we're pushing you cause we know you can amount to so much more. In all honesty, you can make the top 4." Jack looked down at her then back at his sister who was sheepisly starring at the floor.

"Put the comments behind us?" he asked and she eagerly nodded, throwing her arms around his waist, apologizing for upsetting him.

"Hey guys." Rory said, gainging the twins' attention "What do you call a Mareep on a trampoline?" The two twins looked at each other then rolled their eyes, "What?"

"A wooly jumper."

_So I met up with some friends at the edge of the night. At a bar off 75 _

The three boys ran up to the stone cube looking building, "Pewter Gym!? Henry cheered, thrusting an arm into the air.

"Why you so happy about seeing a gym? I thought you were a _coordinator_?" Will teased, dragging out the word. Henry glared at him. If he wasn't going to participate in contests, he was going to battle the hell out of gym leaders. Maybe he could use badges as a way to get into the Kanto Grand Festival. The three looked at each other and put out their hands.

Scissors. Paper. Rock.

Crap.

"You already got to go first." Will pointed out, seeing as Henry got the first shot at battling the last gym. Henry shrugged and pulled his hand back. Will had his fist out and Benji had two fingers out in the shape of scissors.

"I win, Benny." Will smirked, opening the doors to the gym. Once entering the gym, the trio came face to face with the Pewter City Gym Leader, Forrest, who was currently typing away on his computer. "I, William of Slateport City, challenge you to a Pokémon battle!" Forrest stood up behind him and nodded, "Alright, right this way." he said, signing out of whatever he was doing.

The trio followed the man into the arena and he went over the rules, a three-on-three battle, no substitions. Forrest watched the glint in the boy's eyes as he reached for the Pokéball attached to his belt.

Once the weekdays had come to an end and the weekend had begun, the trio had proudly beaten the Gym Leader. Forrest walked into the room where the three boys were talking. He handed Henry the Boulder Badge and walked over to Benji, ruffling his hair. "You three want to stay for dinner? I know living off canned foods and pre-made meals you've probably made your parents cook is the life but-"

Forrest never got to finish his sentence because both Henry and Will had already yelled out their answer, "Yes!" But Benji was going to say no, he wanted to live, to get to Cerulean as soon as possible. Looking out the window he realized it was probably futile, the sun was setting and they'd have to make camp soon anyway, they wouldn't have gotten far. "Plus, Brock will be here soon and he makes extremely good meals." Forrest looked down at the raven haired boy in front of him. The members of the Indigo League were going to be at a meeting for the next few days and Forrest was going delay Benji from reaching Cerulean by any means necessary. The League members knew what happened ten years ago, they got the gist of how Misty and Ash were no longer together. And he's not very proud of it but; the League members have a bet going on what would happen when the boy enters the gym. Forrest said Misty would go against the new regulations that were passed a few years prior -a rule stating all gym leaders could not battle a family member due to the chance of them being baised and going easy on said trainer- and challenge her son.

The doors to Pewter City Gym were opened and a tall, tanned man sttood in the doorway with a young girl asleep on his hip. "Thanks a ton Brock!" his brother whispered, clapping Brock on the back. "There's food in the fridge and you're welcome to make whatever you want. But you do have some guests." Brock looked at his brother and opened his mouth to question him, when he saw a mop of black hair. His godson was finally back in Kanto.

"Delay him as long as you can; we have the meeting for the next few days and she drives Blaine home... Well to the shoreline." Brock nodded and looked at his godson. He'd have the boy would stay here the whole weekend if needed. Benji was going to meet his mom.

"Hey Brock!" the boy yelled, "I'm hungry!" the girl on Brock's hip started to stir, awoken by the boy's loud voice and began to cry.

"Really?! I just got her to fall asleep!"

_My head is on fire, but my legs are fine. Cause after all they are mine _

The Nurse Joy handed the group their room key, "Enjoy your stay." she said sweetly, before turning back to her Chansey. The three began to walk around in search of their room.

"So what do you think the Pewter City gym'll be like?" Hallie asked, glancing up at the gray paneled ceiling. "It'll have a swimming pool." Jack said sarcastically, galancing towards his twin. "Oh shut up!" she snapped back. Rory smiled at Shellshocker and continued down the hallway. The twins were bickering, Shellshocker wasn;t in his Pokéball, and they were wandering the halls of Pokémon Center. Everything was at peace with the world.

Once the room was found the three fell onto the two twin beds; Hallie and Rory sharing one, Jack sleeping in the other. He looked up at the ceiling and pulled out Charmander's Pokéball. "In all honesty, how difficult do you think this is gonna be?" Rory leaned back into the pillow and covered her eyes. "Do you want the textbook answer or no?" Jack tossed the Pokéball up, "Textbook."

"Not very good. Even though Fire types are considered very powerful, when up against solely Rock and solely Ground Pokémon, their offensive is only about half. And the damage they take is nearly double the damage it would have if it were versusing a Mankey, a fighting type Pokémon, for example. And if it's a dual-Pokémon of both Rock _and _Ground, you're royally screwed. The damage your Charmander's gonna take is about four times as much as it would battling the Mankey. But when you battle his Steelix, I recommend using Charmander, it will deal twice as much damage. Fire types are super effective against Steel types. Oh and your Weedle, have fun. Bug types in general have very low defenses and it's weak to Rock. But against Ground and Steel there is no difference. A Bud type battles against those two normally."

Jack rolled on his side and looked at his friend. Why did she have to give him that answer? Couldn't she recite some other type's statistics that would beat the Pewter City Gym Leader's Pokémon? Then again, he did ask for her honesty.

"But I believe in you, and so does the geezer to my left. We'll help you in anyway you need. Because I simply told you statistics. Battling isn't just about what's written on a piece of paper, it's also about gut instinct, believing in your partner, and following what you know in your heart. It's about taking chances. Believe in Charmander and he'll trust you and go along with whatever you do."

Jack rolled make onto his back and stared at the Pokéball in his head. Could this little guy really beat the odds? Were they really just statistics? He put the Pokéball on the table beside him and smiled; he believed in his partner.

"Hey Rory, you said you'd help me with anything right?" the girl nodded, turning towards her friend, "What do you need help with?"

"Can I borrow Shelley for the match?"

"Go to sleep."

_I was found and now I don't roam these streets. I am not the ghost you want of me _

"Misty, what do you think of this color?" Rudy asked, placing a greenish palette down in front of her. The two of them had been looking at colors for the soon-to-be home all day. It got to the point where all the colors started to look the same. Do you know what the difference between Mint Frappe and Kiwi Squeeze is? Partically nothing! So Mint Frappe was a smidge darker than Kiwi Squeeze; it's not the end of the freaking world! But according to Filipe and Rudy, when the sun hits the wall people will be able to notice the difference.

Misty turned to the male in front of her. Rudy had hired the "best interior designer throughout the Orange Archipaelgo" to help design their home; yet it didn't feel right. Rudy had his house picked out and designed to a T; a T in which Filipe loved. Misty's vision was completely different, hers was more homey, more serene, but apparently, was too dull to be dawned upon. Or at least in Filipe's eyes. Misty turned to one of the blue palettes, thrown haphazardly to the floor. Picking it up, Misty found the perfect color for the living room; Mystic Color. The woman laughed to herself, _Misty _would pick up _Mystic _wouldn't she?

Leaning back onto the plush couch, she stared around the room. Rudy had a distinct taste, an over ornate one. Everything had to be perfectly polished daily as well. Standing up, she walked towards the beige chiase lounge Rudy had settled on and began to dance her fingers along the upholestry. "What do you think of this?" she asked, stopping behind him and showing him her color palette. He wasted not even a second glancing at it, before saying 'no.' Sighing, she sat back down in her spot and stared at the wall behind him. The cream colored walls began to transition into a light blue color and letting her mind wander.

_"What about this one!" he said excitedly, throwing the piece of cardboard against the wall. "Come on Mist, you know you like it." Ash said, gesturing his right arm around the color palette. The two of them had spent the past _four _hours walking up and down the aisles of the local home improvement store, staring at an infinite amount of colors and hues. She watched as his smiled broadened as he tried to contain his excitement. A feat he did not succeed at. Though she couldn't blame him. She was excited too. The two of them had officially moved into _their _home; they no longer lived in a crappy apartment above a laundrymat and they weren't staying at his mother's anymore. They had finally bought a home._

_Misty shook her head and slammed a different palette against the wall; a darker shade of blue._ _"This one." she said, sticking her tongue out, challenging her husband. He glared at her and let the palette fall to the floor. Her smile flattered as she watched him walk near her. _What was wrong? What's she do?_ But she watched as he smirked and pulled the palette away. "Nope!" he yelled and ran out of the room._

_"KETCHUM COME BACK HERE!" she called after him, kicking off her flip flops to chase him. "You know, yelling 'Ketchum' has no effect if IT'S YOUR LAST NAME TOO!" she huffed and ran into the kitchen. Upon enterance, she saw him leaning against the counter, staring intently at the palette in his hand. "What?" she asked, walking towards him. "You really want this color?" he asked, which she responded with a small nod. "Okay!" he smiled, pushing himself off the counter and snaking his arms around her waist, "Then we paint the walls- uh-" he quickly glanced at the card in his hand, "Ocean Tropic."_

_Misty smiled at him but shook her head, "I was thinking. Since there are four walls in the living room, we paint two walls Ocean Tropic and the other two Blue Feather... Seriously, it's called Blue Feather?" Ash laughed and leaned his forehead agains hers, "I think I could do a better job naming them." She laughed slightly, turning to look at the wall behind her that had a reddish palette card taped to the wall. "Why be a Pokémon Master when he could be Ash Ketchum: Interior Designer Extraordinaire?" Ash released his wife from his grasp and began walking towards the paint cans that lined a wall in the dinning room. "Whoever paints their wall the quickest doesn't have to do the dishes."_

_"You're going down Ketchum." Misty said, arming herself with a paintbrush and a roller. He laughed and began opening the cans of paint, "You're on, _Ketchum_."_

Misty was brought out of her thoughts by Rudy handing her another green palette. "This one goes on the east and west walls." he then handed her a second palette. "This one on the north and south." Misty forced a smiled and nodded, "I love it."

_"Misty-" Ash whined, trying to gain the attention of his wife._

Don't turn around. Keep painting. He's just tryna make you lose

_Mistyyyyyyyyyyy." She groaned and turned around to yell at him to shut up. But before she could utter a word, Ash flung piant off his brush and onto her. "Ash!" she yelled, as he clutched his stomach from laughing. "I like that color on you!" Misty then dipped her hand into the paint and rubbed it down his cheek. He looked up at her with widen eyes and he saw the gleam in hers. "Now your gonna get it!"_

_"Don't get it on the windows! Ah!" she squeaked and ran when she noticed how he now lugged the paint tray around as a weapon. "Ash don't you-" but her threat was cut off by him dumping part of its contents onto her. "Ashhhhhh." she whined, her voice mimicking his from earlier. Ash warmly smiled down at her, "Like I said, I like that color on you." he muttered before capturing her lips_

_On our darkest day, when we're miles away so we'll come. We will find our way home_

After an extra few days lost in the woods, the trio had finally found Cerulean. The dark haired boy smiled at the city and sprinted down the hill. He was finally here. She _would _be here. He picked up his speed, racing through the gates. He heard his friends calling him but he didn't care. After ten years, he'd finally see her again. But then the smile fell from his face. Sure Cerulean wasn't as big as the cities he'd seen like Lilycove City in Hoenn or Jubilife City in Sinnoh; but Cerulean was still a big place. How would he ever find her?

Aunt Dawn said, he'd _definietly _meet her, yet he knew for a fact it would take weeks to visit every store, every building, every rock. His friends finally caught up to him, bombarding him with questions about why he ran off. Benji turned towards his friends and began telling them how his mother was here and that's why he wanted to get here as fast as he could; that she was somewhere in this city and he was going to meet her. Will put a hand on his friend's shoulder and nodded, "Okay, we'll find her." Benji smiled at the two of them but the moment was ruined by his stomach growling, "We'll start the search tomorrow; I'm tired and your stomach's calling out to us." The three of them ran to the local Pokémon Center and requesting a room before retiring for the night.

The sun filtered through the thin curtains in the room, waking Benji from his slumber. This was it, he was going to start _his _journey. The one where he'd find the missing half of himself. He would never tell his father this but, he'd always felt like half of him was missing and he'd only find it by finding her. He sprung out of bed eager to start their mission. But again, he had no idea where to start. He could ask the Nurse Joy manning the front desk if she'd seen the woman in the picture. Or he could ask an Officer Jenny. And if she didn't know who the woman was, wouldn't she have some fancy machine that could tell him who his mom was? And then he could look her up in a phone book or something. He tried to remember the name his father had told him, all he could remember was her first name. Misty. He ran a hand through his unruly hair, urgh what was the last name again?! Sure Misty probably wasn't that common of a name, but with his luck he'd find someone who didn't know who this 'Misty' was.

Will walked into the lobby to see his friend in a state of turmoil over what looked like a photo. "Hey Benji- why don't we challenge the gym leader. It'll clear your head and we could find her a lot easier if you're not having a meltdown." Benji nodded and grabbed his belt, shoving his mom's picture into his back pocket. "Go wake up _his royal highness_. I'll get us some breakfast." Will smirked at his friend's teasing, there was Benji. Within the next ten minutes, the trio had started their trek towards the gym. Benji glanced into every window of every store hoping to spot her. Soon he saw a circus-esque gym ceiling adorned with a giant Dewgong on the front, and he knew his search was futile. He opened the doors and readied himself to annouce his arrival when he noticed a blond woman behind what looked like a receptionist's desk.

"Uh excuse me?" he started, gaining the attention of the blond, "Hi. I- Benjimin Ketchum of Slateport City challenge you to a Pokémon battle!" but instead of getting an answer the woman's jaw dropped. _Oh Kyogre, she's gonna mention my dad. _Everywhere he went, Benji got the same thing, "You're the Pokémon Master's son?!" and he really didn't want that right now. Right now he wanted to win a fight, get a bagde, and ask them if they knew a woman named Misty. The woman behind the desk stood up and cleared her voice. "Yes, well, I'm Daisy- substitute gym leader of Cerulean City Gym. Uh, would you like mind coming back in like an hour. The actual gym leader was like away on a conference call and will like back any time now."

"Daisyyyyyyy, it's official, I hate this league so much." a voice called from down the hallway. "Or she could show up now... Uh sis! You like should come out her, like now!" Daisy called, her eyes never leaving Benji. "But Dasiy, I'm tired~" Daisy groaned and yelled back that she had a trainer waiting for her. The group heard a huff before a shadow appeared in the enterway. "Why couldn't you just ask them to come back?" the woman asked, walking into the lobby, rubbing her eyes and yawning, clearly drained from the past few days. Benji stared up at the woman and this time his jaw dropped. There in front of him stood the woman he's waited ten years to meet. From her slightly curled red hair, that flowed a little over her shoulder to the bloodshot green eyes that he had inherited. He took a few moments just memorizing her. She probably didn't remember him- but he watched as her focus finally drifted towards him. Her eyes widened as she took in his appearance. When he was a toddler, he resembled Ash a lot, but now it was scary. He had the same unruly black hair that couldn't fit in his hat. His cheeks were adorned with small peach freckles in a similar pattern to his dad's random Z's. He's facial shape was nearly the same as Ash's -and Liam's. But he had her green eyes and her nose; a trait shared between the two and Rory.

Benji's slack jaw tightened and formed into a smile. So that's what Aunt Dawn meant. "Misty?" Daisy asked, but had received no response, Misty was only paying attention to the boy in front of her. Henry turned towards Will, quietly asking what was occuring and why you could hear a pin drop? Will leaned over and whispered into his friend's ear, "Grab the photo in his pocket, then I can tell you if my assumptions correct." Henry nodded and reached towards the raven haired boy's pocket, easily fishing out the folded picture. He hand it over to Will who silently unfolded the paper. And Will's assumption seemed to be correct. There on the page stood the woman in front of them, bouncing a baby Benji on her hip.

"I'm Benji-"

"I, Aurora Waterflower and my awesome partner Shellshocker, challenge you to a Pokémon battle!... Aw man, someone got here first."

**Oh no! Misty thinking about her ex when she should be listening to her current boyfriend ;)**

**I needed a cute little Pokéship quip to brighten my mood, so I made an adorable little flashback. I have prom tomorrow and my graduation's in three days... My childhood is almost over... Shit is getting real!**

**And sorry, my computer keeps saying how there's a problem, yet I've only had these computer for six months, what the hell have I done to already make it shut down and be like**

**' :( there is a problem ... '**

**Seriously, it has a sad face and everything...**

**And like how Will and Rory met before Rory and Benji? ;)**


End file.
